Albus Potter and the Sorting of the Students
by Sgeulachdan
Summary: Albus Potter's first year at Hogwarts. Mysterious attacks, an inept headmaster, and a Sorting Hat that's coming apart at the seams make for an interesting experience.
1. A New Story Begins

**Chapter 1**

**A New Story Begins**

* * *

"_Potter, Albus."_

_Albus Potter shook as he stepped towards the ratty old Sorting Hat on the wooden stool in front of him. A small buzz spread across the hall upon hearing the familiar surname, and his breath caught in his chest. The professor holding the list of names cast a long shadow over Albus as he approached. He lifted the Hat and motioned towards the stool. Albus sat, and closed his eyes tight as the Hat came to rest on his head._

"_Ah, I see…" the Hat drawled. "Gryffindor would be proud to have another Potter in its mix."_

_Albus breathed a sigh of relief._

"_Oh, but…"_

_Albus's breath caught again._

"_There's so much potential in here... Such a strong desire to find yourself… You want to discover your true power - to see what you can do. You want to show that you can be as strong as... your father. You want to be great, and there's only one place that can help you along that path."_

Oh, no_... Albus thought._

"_SLYTHERIN!" the Hat shouted. The crowd gasped._

_Albus sat rooted to the chair as the professor lifted the Hat off his head and motioned to the table on the far right, where the Slytherins were cheering at the top of their voices. The rest of the hall sat in stunned silence. He looked at the Gryffindor table where he saw all his cousins staring at him, the shock and disappointment evident on their faces. He saw James smirking at him with a look that could only be read as "I told you so."_

"_Go on," the professor said. "That's where you belong."_

_Albus looked up, but the man's features were blurring. A moment later, Harry Potter's face was sneering down at him. "Go. You don't belong with Gryffindor. You're meant to be in Slytherin."_

_Panic gripped Albus's heart as he looked at his father. _What's going on? _he thought._

_He heard a few more scattered calls of "You don't belong," and then the whole hall began chanting it as one. Albus looked around in desperation, fear coursing through his veins._

"_You don't belong. You don't belong. You don't belong."_

_His father pointed at the Slytherin table, but before Albus could stand up, the stool disappeared, and he fell to the floor. The hall laughed, Gryffindor loudest of all, and James was calling his name, and the whole school was mocking him, and everyone's heads had become those of snakes…_

…and then Albus Potter awoke with a start.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Albus left his bedroom. He was safe at home, still two months away from being a Hogwarts student - but still shaken from his nightmare. It wasn't the first time he'd had that particular dream, but it upset him the same every time.

_What if I do end up in Slytherin?_

He didn't think he could bear the shame. Everyone in his family was in Gryffindor - even stuck-up, bookworm Lucy, who everyone thought would surely end up in Ravenclaw.

"Al!" His mother's voice jarred his thoughts loose as he walked into the kitchen. "What have you been doing up there? James called for you ten minutes ago!"

"Sorry, Mum. Slow getting up." Well, it was the truth. After he had woken up in a cold sweat, he had lay in his bed for five minutes trying to get rid of the memories of the recurring nightmare. He took a seat at the table in between James and Lily, the latter of whom was looking very grumpy and being very quiet (a behavior quite unusual for her).

"Well, maybe you'll be quicker next time, after you see what you've missed," she said, passing him an envelope as bacon and eggs cooked themselves on the stove behind her. The reason for Lily's grumpiness became apparent as Albus read the addressing.

Albus's heart jumped into his throat. "The Hogwarts letters came!" he took the envelope and ripped it open. He may have been anxious about the Sorting, but it felt good to finally hold proof that he was indeed going to the school he had heard so many wondrous stories about.

Not that there had ever been any doubt of his magical ability. He had been performing accidental magic since he was two years old, when he had fallen down the stairs after someone hadn't closed the baby gate quite right. His mother told him that she had screamed when she saw him fall, but as chance would have it, she had needed not worry: Instead of a painful tumble down the hard wooden stairs, he had glided about an inch above the stairs until he came to rest on his belly at the bottom, giggling like it had been a carnival ride.

Albus unfolded his letter and read:

_Albus S. Potter_

_The Bedroom at the End of the Hall_

_The Haven_

_Dear Mr. Potter._

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Included are your book list, supply list, and your ticket to the Hogwarts Express, which will leave King's Cross from Platform 9 ¾ at 11 o'clock on the morning of September 1__st__. Students are allowed to bring either an owl, a cat, or a toad as a pet._

_We look forward to seeing you!_

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Filius Flitwick_

_Deputy Headmaster_

Albus reread the letter with satisfaction, the dream forgotten. _He was finally going to Hogwarts._

"Here, give me your book list - oh, and you would have the supply list, too, that's right. We'll make a trip to Diagon Alley this weekend and get you everything you need." Albus's mother smiled at him. "We'll have to get you an owl, too, so you can stay in touch. I want you to write every week!"

Albus smiled as he handed her the requested lists. "I will, I promise!"

James made a gagging noise. "I don't know what I'd do if I had to write every _week_."

"James, don't tease your brother. We got a letter from you every other day your first month at Hogwarts." Their mother swatted James on the back of his head as he turned bright red.

"I'm, uh, going to go and see what Fred's up to," he said, and rushed out the door.

Ginny sighed as she put plates of food in front of Albus and Lily. "Hopefully they have some breakfast left over there."

Albus took a bite of eggs as he read the letter yet again.

The Potter children were fortunate enough to be growing up in what was the beginnings of a small Wizarding village. Their parents had built a house about a hundred yards from their grandparents' home, the Burrow. Over time, their cousins' families had settled down around them as well.

Their parents' unique status in the Wizarding world had led to an interesting childhood for all of the Potter and Weasley children. Their parents had tried to protect them from media attention, but there was still the occasional ridiculous "Three Year Old Potter Child Blows Up Ice Cream Dish with Accidental Magic - Next Albus Dumbledore?" story. Of course, the only reason Lily had splattered the ice cream was because a reporter had jumped in front of her with a smoking camera while they were in Diagon Alley.

Alas, nothing was perfect, and while the children were well aware of everything that had transpired a generation prior, none of them understood the magnitude of it all until they went to Hogwarts. James had come home from his first year at school with an over-inflated sense of his own importance, and it had taken their parents the better part of the summer to knock it out of him with housework.

"AL!"

Albus heard the front door open and then slam shut again, and a second later, Rose Weasley burst into the kitchen.

"Did you get your letter?" she asked, excited.

"Yeah, I didn't know they were - "

"OH! This is so exciting! When are you going to Diagon Alley to get your stuff? Mum says we have to wait until the weekend, since her and Dad are working all week, but maybe I can go with you if you're going earlier? I can't wait! Where should we go first? I'm looking forward to getting our books, maybe I can try to make some of the potions in there, I shouldn't get in trouble for underage magic for those, but I also want to go get my wand right away! I don't know what to - "

"ROSE!" Albus's mother interrupted the young girl's excited babbling. "We're not going until the weekend either, your Uncle Harry wants to be there when we go. Now sit down and have some breakfast."

"Darn! Oh, no, not about the breakfast - oh, I already ate, but thank you anyway."

The kitchen door opened again and Rose's younger brother Hugo walked in wearing an expression similar to Lily's.

"Hey, Hugo," Albus said to the younger boy.

Hugo grunted at Albus in response.

"He's a little bit upset," Rose whispered to him.

"Yeah, so is Lily," Albus responded.

"I'm not upset!" Lily spoke for the first time, indignant.

"Then why have you been sitting there hacking your bacon into bits for the past five minutes without eating anything?" Albus retorted.

"I'm not upset!" Lily repeated.

"Suuuuure you're not."

"I'm not!"

"Lily, why don't you and Hugo go upstairs and play," their mother interjected, heading off the temper tantrum that was sure to come. Lily stood up and stalked out of the room, glowering at Albus as she left.

"Don't antagonize your sister," their mother chastised, shaking a spatula at Albus. "She's losing both brothers for the year; of course she's going to be upset!"

"I wasn't upset when James left!"

"That's because the last thing James did to you before he left was put a Multiplying Maggot under your bed. And even then, you did miss him after we got rid of the smell. Now, if you're done, clear out of here. I have a story about the new Seeker broom to write, and I'd like some peace and quiet in here while I write it." And so Albus and Rose headed up to Albus's room.

Rose and Hugo spent a great deal of time during most days at the Potters' house, due to both of their parents working during the day. On days when Ginny had to be somewhere on location for the Prophet, they would all go to the Burrow where their grandmother would dote all over them, or else to one of their cousins' house. Their grandmother always said that one of the best reasons to live close to your extended family was for the support, and in the end, that was how she had been able to convince all the various Weasley relatives to move closer. Their Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur still had a cottage by the shore, but decided that, as having three kids and working was beginning to wear on them, there might be some logic in having family around. Even Uncle Charlie had a small house in the area, though he spent most of his time abroad.

The two walked past Lily's room and caught a glimpse of Hugo sitting on Lily's bed frowning before Lily slammed the door in a flash of red hair and anger.

"She'll settle down eventually. She did the same thing the past two years when James left to go to Hogwarts," Albus said.

They reached Albus's room, and as they walked in, Albus flipped the switch on the Wizarding Wireless next to the door.

" _- don't know about this bloke, he doesn't have much experience in the way of hands-on education, I don't know how he can be…"_

"Just news." Albus rolled his eyes as they sat on the floor. "So, what do you think it's like there?"

"What do you mean, 'what do you think it's like,' we've been there before! We go there every year for the memorial!" Rose said, nonplussed.

"I know, but, I mean, what do you think it's going to be like. Y'know. Being a student there, everyday?" Albus clarified.

"Well, Dominique says classes are really hard, but Lucy says they're easy. James says the professors are mean, but Molly says they're mostly really nice and helpful. So, I don't know what to think about that."

"Of course James would think the professors are mean; he and Fred cause so much trouble there, it's a wonder they haven't been thrown out yet. And Lucy doesn't do anything but study, so of course she thinks the classes are easy." He sighed. "I guess it's just something we'll have to see for ourselves."

"Yeah, you'll have to tell us how Slytherin House is. We've never been to their common room!" A voice rang out from the doorway, and Albus and Rose looked up to see James and Fred laughing.

Albus stood up to go slam the door, but Fred stopped him. "Easy, easy. we just wanted to ask if you wanted to go play some Quidditch with us."

Upon hearing the magic "Q" word, Albus perked up, as did Rose (albeit to a much lesser extent). Quidditch was perhaps his favorite activity in the whole world. He couldn't wait until he could go out for his House team (whichever House it would end up being). He knew that his father had been allowed on the team his first year, but he didn't think any such exceptions may be made for him; he wasn't anywhere near as good a Seeker as his father had been, and from what James and Fred had said, all the House teams had a quality returning Seeker in place.

"Let's go!"

"Did someone say 'Quidditch?'" Lily's door opened, and she poked her head out, all traces of her previous unhappiness gone.

"Yeah," James said. "Come on, Grumpy. Get your broom and let's go!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, they were in a field behind the Burrow, playing three on three Quidditch. Three improvised hoops made from old wicker basket parts, Muggle vehicle tires, and what Albus suspected was a broken toilet seat sat atop tall posts constructed from old broom handles and tree branches, held together by a considerable amount of rope and magic. It had been a summer project several years back, before most of them had begun attending Hogwarts.

James, ever the show-off, was weaving around Hugo and Albus, ignoring the wide open Lily waving for the Quaffle.

"Throw it here! James! JAMES!"

But James instead hurled the red, leathery ball at the post on the far left as he closed in. Fred blocked it with ease, grinning at James. Hugo grabbed the Quaffle and sped off down the pitch, passing it to Albus at the last second, who slung it in past a frustrated Rose.

Lily scoffed at James. "See what happens when you PASS TO YOUR TEAMMATES?"

"Shut up, Lily."

"I'm just saying, I was wide open."

"Shut up, Lily."

"All you had to do was pass me the Quaffle."

"Shut up, Lily!"

"You're such a ball hog, it's no wonder you're only a reserve."

"SHUT UP, LILY!"

And so the game continued late in the afternoon, until they were too tired to continue.

* * *

Both families ate dinner at the Burrow that night, to celebrate Albus and Rose getting their first Hogwarts letters (Albus had come to notice that not much was necessary to warrant a celebration dinner at his grandparents' house). Their grandmother had made all of their favorites, and plates upon plates of roast beef, potatoes, shepherd's pie, Welsh meatballs, and more lined the table.

The mood was high around the table as Harry, Hermione, and Arthur debated the latest political issues, Ron and Ginny argued over whether or not the Tornados would beat the Kestrels ("I'm telling you, Knox is the best Keeper in the game, they're not going to sneak very many past him!"), Molly made sure the kids were all eating enough, and James told the younger children tall tales of his and Fred's adventures during their first two years at Hogwarts.

"You did not!"

"We most certainly did!"

"But how did you manage that without getting caught?"

"It's an art, little brother."

"James," interjected Molly. "Please tell me nobody was hurt when you did that."

"Of course not, Grandmum! Although, Walter Hopkirk was walking sort of bow-legged for a week or two after that…"

"James!" Molly exclaimed as the younger children giggled. "I'm going to have to have a word with your uncle about what kind of products he's giving - "

She was interrupted by Harry slamming his fist down on the table. "Hermione, I'm telling you, something's not right there! Button has no first-hand experience in this matter. working for the Examiner's Commission doesn't translate into success at what he's being asked to do!"

"The Board of Governors obviously think he's suited for the job, or else they wouldn't have put him there! If they had any doubts about - "

"But it just doesn't add up! There's so many people who would - "

"Harry! Hermione!" Molly's sharp, admonishing voice interrupted the argument. "Perhaps now is not the best time for this discussion?"

Albus thought the two parents looked far more surprised than they should have been that all five children were staring at them from the other end of the table.

"Er - You're absolutely right, Molly, we should - er - right, well, then…"

Albus was stunned. He had never heard his father and Rose's mother argue like that, and he wasn't missing the meaningful glances being passed between the adults. The subject would be brought up again later.

As they finished up dessert, Lily and Hugo disappeared upstairs with a set of Exploding Snap cards, and James, who had been quiet the past few minutes, spoke. "Albus, Rose, let's go outside, I want to show you something I learned how to do flying the other day."

"But we spent all day flying, why didn't you show us then?" Albus objected. He did like flying, but he wanted to hang around in the hopes that the adults would bring up whatever it was they had been talking about again.

"…I forgot about it until now, is that okay with you? Would you like to sit here and argue about it, or do you want to come outside and see it?"

Albus sighed. "Okay, let's go." He stood, and Rose followed, mute.

"Be careful out there, it's almost dark," their mother warned as they left the kitchen.

"James, what's your problem? I wanted to hear what they were arguing about!" Albus said, annoyed, as they made their way around to the back of the Burrow.

"Yeah, well, they weren't about to start talking while we were sitting there, now were they?" James replied.

"But now we're not even there, so even if they do talk about it, we won't be able to - OH!" Albus's eyes opened wide in excitement as James pulled an Extendable Ear out of his pocket.

"You got us out of there _so_ they would start talking again!" Rose exclaimed, a devious grin growing on her face.

James smirked. "You two have a lot to learn about how to get around authority," he said, chuckling as they stopped. "Look, let's go all the way around the house, they already saw us go past the kitchen window, so it would be safer to just go in a circle. We'll slip this thing under the door."

They crept up on the door that led from the outside to the kitchen. James slipped the ear under the door, and they all leaned in to listen.

"…just been appointed to draw attention to the Board of Governors? Why would they want that?" Rose's father was asking.

Their grandfather spoke next. "They're a bunch of rich old men who have been sitting there watching the Headmasters and Headmistresses gain all this attention and love from the public, and they're afraid that nobody respects them - which, I must say, is the truth, but they don't do much, and people realize that. They've seen Dumbledore, McGonagall - even Snape - gather all the attention of the public, and they want some of that for themselves."

"So they make a ridiculous move by putting somebody from the OWL and NEWT board in there as the next Headmaster of Hogwarts? The media is having a field day with this! They look stupid!"

"Yes, but, see, look what everyone is talking about, Harry. _Them._ The focus is on them, so they're happy."

It was silent for a few moments, then they heard James' and Albus' father speak again. "I don't know, Arthur, I just get the feeling that there has to be something more... I don't know."

Rose's mother spoke up. "Harry, you're an Auror, and all's been peaceful for the past few years. You're looking for something where there's nothing, just so you have something to do. You're bored - "

"Hermione, I'm not bored! Something just doesn't sit right with me! I mean, I know that Bernard Button is a smart man, and a very capable examiner, but… He doesn't have any experience teaching. He doesn't know how it is in there, how to handle any situations that might arise. Even an Auror would be a better choice, at least they have hands-on experience with _anything._"

"So go tell them that you want to be Headmaster. They'd probably sack Button in an instant if they heard that Harry Potter wanted the job."

"I don't want to be Head; I was just trying to make a point."

More silence followed, then their grandmother spoke. "You shouldn't have gone off like that in front of the kids. I don't think I've even seen Lily look as scandalized as she did when she heard her father yelling at her favorite aunt."

A slight pause, then they heard Rose's father speak. "These kids are growing up too fast. Harry, how did you handle it when James first left for school?"

Albus gave James and Rose a surprised look at the sudden change in direction of the conversation.

"Heh. It was a rush of different emotions. Excitement, worry, sadness... extreme anger. I was happy for him, that he was finally going to get to go to Hogwarts, and have his own adventures there. Then a little worried about how he'd adjust - which was silly, since he had Fred, and the pair of them are so personable, they'd have no problem making friends. Not to mention he had Lucy there to keep him in line with his classes. Then, when he finally left, it was sad, with the house being so much quieter. Albus is so reserved, and Lily didn't quite know what to do without her older brother around to antagonize her."

"Aww, that sounds like how it was around here when Bill went off to school! Ginny cried for days and days - "

"Mum! I did not!"

"Yes, you did, hun."

"What about that 'extreme anger' you mentioned?" Rose's father brought the conversation back to the point.

"Oh, yes. That was when we discovered the Multiplying Maggots he had hidden under Albus' bed before he left."

The entire room burst out into laughter, and Albus, James, and Rose all tried to stifle their own as Albus gave James a small shove. James shoved back, harder, and Albus bumped into the door, making a loud _CLUNK_.

"What on Earth was that?"

"Probably just one of the gnomes making a ruckus on a dare - "

"Oh, no it wasn't! _Accio!"_

James gave a startled gasp as the Extendable Ear was jerked from his grasp, and as the door opened, all three knew they were in big trouble. Their grandmother stood there, glaring down at them, Extendable Ear in one hand, wand in the other. "Snooping! I should have known! It's been a long time since I've had to check for one of these things poking under a door or hanging off a stairway! You are just like your uncles, James Sirius Potter!"

"A bit like his namesakes, too, it seems."

"Ron! Not the time! I'm disciplining your children!"

"Hey, only one of them's mine. Yell at Harry and Ginny."

"Don't be a - "

"James?" Harry interrupted his wife as he looked at his oldest son. "How much did you three hear?"

"…Not that much, we had just come back, and - we heard our names, and thought we'd have a listen, and - "

"James, I listen to liars for a living. Please don't lie to me."

Albus's brother looked at the floor. "We heard everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything from the Governors wanting respect, and - and about the new Headmaster, and - "

"Okay."

James looked up again. Their father was looking back at them, disappointed. Albus felt his face turn bright red. He _hated _seeing his father with that look on his face - the Sorting Hat from his dream was right in one sense: He looked up to his father, and wanted to earn and keep his respect. Albus was sure that _he_ had never resorted to eavesdropping on adults having private conversations.

"Let's go home." Harry's face was calm, but Albus knew he was upset. "It's been a long day."

The adults all stood up, and the children picked themselves up off the floor. Rose's mother headed upstairs to collect Lily and Hugo, as their grandmother continued scolding them.

Ten minutes later, they were in their home. Albus was already in his room, getting ready for bed and listening to James argue with their mother in the hall.

"It's only nine o'clock!"

"You'll be lucky if you're not sent to bed even earlier for the rest of the summer, after that stunt!"

"But, Muuuuummm…"

"GO!"

"Yeah, James, go to bed, you're in TROUBLE!"

"SHUT UP, LILY!"

"Lily, you go to bed, too!"

"But, Mum! I didn't even do anything!"

"GO!"

Albus heard his siblings' doors slams. As he put his clothes in the laundry, he heard his door open. "I'm getting in bed, Mum!" He dove for the bed, but as he pulled the covers up, he saw not his mother, but his father.

"Oh. Uh - I, um - "

"Albus, I'm not mad at you." His father said, sitting down on the end of the bed. "I'm not even mad at James, as much as worried about what you lot will think about your Headmaster now."

"You said you didn't think he deserved the job."

Harry sighed. "No, it's not that he doesn't deserve it, it's just that the choice really confuses me. When Professor McGonagall stepped down at the end of last year, everyone figured that someone like Professor Flitwick, or Professor Moorehead, or even Neville would be chosen to replace her. She even requested that she be allowed to pick her successor, but the Board - well, they did what they thought was best, and their idea of what was best was different from Minerva's."

Albus nodded, trying with difficulty to process everything.

"But I don't want you to think anything less of Professor Button. He's a very intelligent man, and he knows how to make your classes as efficient as they can possibly be. Show him as much respect as you would show me."

Albus nodded, understanding that his father knew how much he respected him.

Harry stood up. "Get to sleep," he said, and left the room, putting out the lights with a wave of his hand.

Albus rolled over, feeling much better than he had fifteen minutes prior. He was going to do whatever he had to in order to make his father proud - and to _not_ end up in Slytherin House.

And with those thoughts, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Albus is in bed, at the very least." Harry said as he entered the living room. Ginny was still trying to finish her article.

"Good. How about you try to work some of that same kind of magic with the other two?" she snapped, still annoyed with the children.

Harry chuckled. "I'm afraid they don't quite respond the same way to me as he does. James used to, but he's entering his 'rebellious teen' years. And Lily's her mother's daughter, for sure."

Ginny looked up from her writing. "Is he going to be okay at Hogwarts? I mean - he's very bright, but he just seems so… anxious. I hear him crying in the night, sometimes, and a few nights ago, I could've sworn I heard him scream something about Slytherin…"

Harry frowned. "Slytherin? But… oh, no. He's worried he'll get put there."

"Well, obviously, Harry. You and Ron aren't making it any better, talking about how they should learn some good hexes for the Slytherins - Did you know that Malfoy's son is starting this year, too?"

"Yeah, I did. Seamus stopped by and showed us the record. Thought we'd get a kick out of it. How'd you hear?"

"Ron told me at dinner tonight. I don't want you two telling Albus and Rose, and certainly not James, to go cursing him without provocation."

"Ginny, I seem to remember more than a few occasions where Malfoy would end up fighting off giant flying Bogeys…"

Ginny sniffed. "That was different. He had proven himself to be an ass. This one hasn't! Yet, at least…"

Harry chuckled again. "Don't worry, I'm not going to tell him to do that."

"And make sure he knows he's got nothing to worry about. He's got about as much chance of ending up in Slytherin as you had."

Harry felt his heart skip a beat as he processed those words. He had never told Ginny that the Hat had given serious consideration to putting him in Slytherin. It wasn't that he was embarrassed - quite the contrary: He had outgrown the notions of House superiority, so he never felt the inclination to reveal that particular fact.

At least, that was the rationale he used. While Slytherin House still retained a certain… dark quality about it, the students in it were nowhere near as sinister as they had been when they had been in school. At least, that was the word from Neville, at any rate. But Ginny was right. Albus had nothing to worry about. If he truly did not want to be in Slytherin, the Hat wouldn't put him there. After all, it hadn't when Harry had asked not to be put there.

"Harry? You all right?" Ginny's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah." He gave Ginny a smile he hoped was reassuring. "I'll talk to Al, don't worry."


	2. Diagon Alley

**Chapter 2**

**Diagon Alley**

**

* * *

**"AL! Wake up!"

"Wha- who - " Albus sat up slowly, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes, a feat made difficult by the small redheaded girl jumping up and down on the end of his bed.

"Get up, sleepy head! It's Saturday! We're going to Diagon Alley today, remember?"

Albus unstuck his eyes to a point where he make out the hands on his clock: 6:21. He turned his head so he could see Lily, whose face was shining far more eagerly than anyone had any right to at the present hour. He groaned and fell back onto his pillow.

"NO! You're getting UP!" Lily jumped off the bed, grabbed Albus' arm, and pulled.

"Lily! Leave me alone, Diagon Alley will still be there in three more hours… maybe four…" Albus pulled his arm from his sister's grasp, rolled onto his stomach, pulled the pillow over his head, and sighed, content, as he began drifting back to…

_WHOMP!_

Albus spun around, sending the pillow over his head flying as he sat up. "What did you do that for!" He yelled. Lily was standing next to his bed holding a spare pillow, which had taken the form of a weapon in Lily's war to drag him out of bed.

_Rather hard, too…_ he thought.

"So you would GET UP, silly head!" She giggled for a second, but then - "Oh, don't you dare, Albus Severus Potter!" For Albus had gotten to his feet, eyes full of a familiar mad twinge that usually preceded her being thrown rather bodily from his room. She was an expert at annoying her older brother.

Albus growled at her. She squeaked and scurried from the room. Albus shut the door behind her as gently as possible, so as to not wake anyone else that might have the idea to come in and interrupt his precious time asleep. It was with thoughts of slipping back into a peaceful sleep that he climbed into his bed and promptly did so.

Until…

_WHOMP!_

"Lily!"

_WHOMP! WHOMP! WHOMP!_

"LILY! STOP IT!"

_WHOMP! WHOMP! WH-_

_BANG!_

The room lit up in a shower of purple and black sparks, and Lily was thrown across the room and through the open door into the hall outside. Both siblings sat where they were for a moment, both very much surprised. Their parents' door opened a moment later and their mother stormed out, hair looking as though she had been attacked by an owl. Like Albus, she was not much of a morning person.

"What in the name of Merlin's…" she stumbled searching for a polite word to fit the situation. _"What the bloody hell warrants this much noise at this hour?"_

_My thoughts exactly,_ thought Albus, but his thoughts were quickly sidetracked:

"Al hexed me, Mum!"

"What! I did no such thing - "

"Did too! And only because I was trying to get him up to get ready to go Diagon Alley!"

"You hit me over the head with a pillow!"

"Only a little - "

"A little! You should hope I don't have permanent brain damage, you hit me so many - "

"ENOUGH!" Their mother screamed, and the bickering children fell silent, cowed.

"Lily. Do not beat your brother with a pillow, no matter how stubborn he is to get up. I can understand, I've had my own fair share of trouble getting him up in the mornings, and I pity his future dorm-mates at Hogwarts, but I think that might have been a bit excessive if he exploded like that."

She turned to Albus. "And Al, I can sympathize with you, too, I certainly do not like being woken up any earlier than I absolutely have to, but _please_ try to control these outbursts. You and I both don't want to have to repair your room _again_, and now that you're starting school, you can start to get in trouble for these things."

Albus must have looked sufficiently abashed, because his mother's hard face immediately broke into a softer expression. "Come here, you two," she said, as she swept them into a hug. "You two know just how to get under the other's skin. It's a very familiar experience for me. Just be lucky there's only three of you. I had to figure out how to irritate six brothers. And they were ALL older than me."

The kids giggled at this. "Now, come on, as long as we're awake at this ungodly hour, we might as well take advantage of it, and get moving early," She said as she released them and headed for the stairs.

Albus was surprised to find that he felt far more awake than he thought he would. _I guess the secret to getting me up in the mornings is to make me mad enough to use accidental magic and wake the whole house up. Simple enough._

He went back into his room to get dressed, glaring at Lily, who smirked and stuck her tongue out at him. He slammed the door in her face, sighing. She wasn't really upset by being sent flying like that, she just wanted to get their mom yelling enough so that they would be forced to all get up and get moving. _Manipulative little girl…_

Of course, he had to learn to control himself better. He had been having accidental magic outbursts for as long as he could remember, though few and far between, and only when he let himself get worked up to the point of bursting (usually courtesy of one of his siblings). These incidents were common among young children who hadn't yet been to Hogwarts, and even those who had been there for a year or two, but his always seemed to be rather... explosive. His parents had always said it was a fair exchange in comparison to James. They didn't happen as often as James's had, or as Lily's were, but they wreaked far more destruction. The last time anything big had happened, he had blasted an enormous hole in the exterior wall of his room (during winter, as fate would have it), and burnt many of his belongings to dust.

Five minutes later, he was sitting at the breakfast table eating a delicious meal of pancakes and sausage and listening to James, still in his nightclothes, grumble about the hour.

"It's 6:30, I don't see why we have to be up this early!"

"Neither do I, but as long as we're up, we might as well get to Diagon Alley early, before the crowds hit," their mother responded.

"But it's SO early, most of the stores won't even be OPEN yet!"

"They will be by the time we get there, don't worry," their father said, coming down the stairs and taking a seat at the table. He looked far more awake than anyone, with the possible exception of Lily.

"Dad! Why are we up so blasted early!" James appealed to his father, since it was clear that his mother wasn't going to let him go back to bed.

"Ask your sister. And watch your mouth."

"Sorry Dad. LILY! What did you DO?" James turned to his sister, bellowing at her once he processed what their father had said.

"I just wanted to get to Diagon Alley early, before the crowds hit!" Lily echoed her mother with a smug expression on her face.

"She jumped on my bed and woke me up, and I accidentally blasted her across the room after she hit me over the head with a pillow," Albus contributed, eager to get James as annoyed at Lily as he was.

"Ah, the Burrow Bomber strikes again!"

"James!" Their mother scolded him as Albus sighed. James's nickname for Albus's outbursts had come about after Albus had ignited the Christmas tree at their grandparents' house when he was four. The incident was but a blur of bright lights in Albus's memory, but his brother had never let him live it (or any of his other occurances) down.

"What? I'm just teasing. He knows that I don't really think he's going to be blowing stuff up forever. I'm just saying, he has a future in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. He can be in charge of making sure everyone there is on their game!"

Albus shot him a dirty look.

* * *

An hour later (due to James' desire to take a lengthy shower before going anywhere and Lily's sudden desire to change outfits), they were headed to their cousins' house, their mother having sent word ahead that they were going to get moving slightly earlier than planned.

As they entered the Den, Albus was immediately accosted by an extremely chipper Rose, who wanted nothing more than to talk nonstop about what to do once they got to Diagon Alley.

"I don't know what we should do first, do you think we should go get our books first? They are the most important part of learning - oh, but our wands! How could I have forgotten! But the store might be crowded, maybe we should go somewhere like the Apothecary first, or Madam Malkin's - No, Albus, there's no need to go to Quality Quidditch Supplies, you're not allowed brooms your first year at school, you know that - ooh, perhaps we should go to get our cauldron and scales and telescope and the like first, or - "

"Rose, breathe," Uncle Ron said, his face bearing a tired expression similar to the one on Albus, James, and their mother. "First thing we need to do is to go to Gringotts; we can't get you anything if we don't have any gold."

"That should be an adventure," their father remarked, a bitter tone to his voice. The goblins had never liked their parents, for reasons unbeknownst to Albus.

"What do you mean, Daddy?" Lily asked, a look of slight disappointment creeping across her face. "We are going to get to go, aren't we? I want to ride on the cart!" The cart ride was Lily and Albus's favorite part of Gringotts - although it only made Rose and Aunt Hermione nauseated.

"Of course you will, sweetheart, don't worry."

"Good." Lily crossed her arms and nodded. "Can we _go_, already!"

Uncle Ron looked at her, and then to their parents. "Has she been like this all morning?"

Their mother sighed. "You have no idea," she said, as James burst out laughing.

"Alright, let's go!" Aunt Hermione strode into the room with Hugo, holding a flowerpot full of a glittery, silver powder. "Who's first?"

"I'll go first, make sure they're ready for visitors," their mother said, reaching for the flowerpot.

She scooped a small handful of powder up, walked to the fireplace and climbed in. Dropping the powder, she let out a yell of "Diagon Alley!" and immediately vanished in a puff of green flame.

Albus always enjoyed watching people travel by Floo, but actually doing it was a different story. He never liked the feeling of being surrounded by smoke, and had yet to land at his destination without falling over.

"Alright, they should be ready now, Albus, you go next," Aunt Hermione said, after waiting a few moments.

Albus blanched. "Why me!" He certainly wanted to go, he just wasn't sure he had the courage worked up yet.

"Because you're closest!" And indeed he was, Albus realized. _Darn._

"If the wittle baby's scared to go, I'll go!" James smirked.

Albus shot his brother a death glare, reached out, and seized a handful of Floo Powder from the proffered flowerpot. He stepped into the fireplace, and with a confident shout of "Diagon Alley," he dropped the powder and felt himself zooming away in a flash of green.

A second later, he found himself forcefully ejected from the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron and flying across the room. He crashed into an empty table roughly ten feet away from the fireplace, knocking it and the surrounding chairs over.

His mother sighed, from the bar. "I'll never understand how you manage to do that," she said, as the bar's few early morning patrons stared, and the tall, pretty barmaid tinkled a laugh.

"Hi, Hannah," Albus said to his godmother as he climbed gingerly to his feet, rubbing his stomach where he had landed, refusing to look at any of the half dozen or so customers still watching him amusedly.

"Hi, Al! You all right?" Hannah Longbottom asked as she cleaned a tall mug.

"Yeah, I'm used to it," he muttered, lowering his eyes. He never could figure out what he was doing wrong that always made him make such a… dramatic exit from the Floo channel.

The fireplace flared up again, and Lily calmly stepped out, much to Albus's annoyance. "Ooooh," she said, upon seeing the overturned furniture. "Did Albus do it again?" The barmaid laughed again, as Albus groaned. "Payback for this morning!" She exclaimed with an evil smile. Albus just gave her a narrow look.

The fireplace lit up once more, and Hugo stepped out. Normally a very quiet boy, he burst out laughing when he saw the overturned table and chairs, as the entire family was well acquainted with Albus's experiences with Floo Powder. "Come on, Al, I've seen you go farther. You can do better than that!" Albus shot a dirty look at his younger cousin as everyone within earshot snorted with laughter.

Within two minutes, all nine of them were there, and the room had resumed its usual buzz of activity. "James, no, get back from the bar. Hannah knows you're nowhere near age," their mother scolded.

"Well, that doesn't mean I can't talk to her, now does it?" James said with a cheeky wink at the blonde matron, who gave him a stern look that failed to reach the upturned corners of her mouth.

"You'd better watch out," she said. "My husband hears you saying that, and you might find yourself shoveling dung your first month back at school."

"Where is Neville, anyway?" Their father asked, as he helped Albus set the table straight.

"Oh, he's at Hogwarts, getting things sorted out there. They've got a lot to do, what with the new Headmaster and all." Albus looked up, hoping to hear more.

"Oh. Well, tell him we called," Harry said. "Come on, let's get moving."

Albus frowned. _Guess we're not going to hear anymore about this fellow today._

As they left the bar, which was growing more crowded by the moment, the first thing Albus noticed was the bright sun gleaming off the large white building towering above the rest down the narrow road. "Let's go!" Lily exclaimed, running ahead.

"Lily, don't get too far ahead, and don't go into Gringotts without us," their mother called.

As they made their way down the narrow, twisting cobblestone alley, Albus was surprised to see as many people as they did out already. "Dad, how come everybody's out so early! I figured they'd be having a lie-in. Like _we_ should be doing right now," he added.

"It's the first weekend after Hogwarts letters," he replied, frowning. "I should've figured on this. Darn."

"Oh, no matter, we'll find everything and make it out of here quickly enough," Aunt Hermione said, although a slight frown had also crept across her face.

As they approached the tall, marble building, they noticed a large black man standing in front of Lily with his hands on her shoulders.

"Kingsley!" Uncle Ron exclaimed. "How are you!"

"Very well, thank you," the retired Minister of Magic said in a deep voice, smiling. "I was coming out of Gringotts, and I noticed this one trying to run inside," he said, gesturing to Lily. "I figured she'd be better off entering with her parents," he said, giving the adults a significant look.

Albus noticed the look, and knew from the glance James gave him that he had noticed, as well.

Their mother flushed. "Lily! I thought we told you not to go in!"

"I wasn't going to _do_ anything, I just wanted to have a look, I wasn't going to _steal_ something, or anything like that!" The young girl protested.

Uncle Ron snorted loudly, turning away to cover his laughter.

Kingsley chuckled. "Must run in the family," he said. "Good to see you all, but I'm afraid I must be off. Duty calls."

"What duty! You're retired!" Their father said, smiling, as the tall, dark man began walking away.

He turned and flashed a grin. "Retired, but still married." And with a wink, he turned and disappeared into the crowd.

"He's a good man," Aunt Hermione said. "If you all ever need anything, he's one person you can turn to, remember that," she said to the children.

They entered the Gringotts lobby and approached one of the goblins behind the counter. "Hello," their mother said, while the others hung a few feet back. She always did most of the talking when they were at Gringotts, for some reason. "We need to make withdrawals."

The goblin, an old, wrinkled thing, looked up from his paperwork and frowned. "Ah… the Potters and the Weasleys… of course, of course… Vaults 687, and 521, if I'm not mistaken, yes?"

"That's right," their mother said. Albus noticed a certain tenseness in the air between her and the goblin as the two exchanged an appraising look.

After a long pause, the goblin spoke. "Very well. Slicktooth! Escort our guests to their vaults." A much younger goblin that Albus had never seen before approached from the side. "I'll trust you'll find the cart an acceptable mode of transportation? Or shall we call for… alternate arrangements?"

His mother's lips pursed, and her eyes narrowed. His father spoke up from behind her. "A cart will be fine, thank you." He put his arms around Albus and Lily and gave the goblin a smile that Albus noticed failed to reach his eyes

"Of course," the goblin said. "Slicktooth! What are you waiting for!"

"Right this way," the younger goblin said in a croaky voice.

"Never gets old, that Grappleclaw," Albus heard Uncle Ron mutter under his breath.

Albus was confused. "What was that all about, Dad?" He whispered.

His father sighed. "Don't worry about it, Al. He's just a grumpy old man."

"Goblin," their guide corrected him.

"Goblin," Harry echoed.

As they approached the carts, a second goblin joined them. "I'll take 521," the new goblin said. "You deal with 687."

"Right," the young goblin said, and the Weasleys and Potters parted ways, with Albus and Rose giving each other a nervous look. "In here," their guide said, pointing to a rickety cart along one of many tracks. The five Potters climbed in, and Albus started feeling the thrill of anticipation for the wild cart ride.

As they took off, the goblin gave Harry an appraising look. "Don't mind Grappleclaw. All the older goblins are still mad about what happened during the war."

Albus gave his father a startled look. _Why would the goblins be mad at Dad? He was one of the leaders of the good guys!_

His father gave Slicktooth a look as startled as the one Albus had given him. "You mean the younger ones aren't?"

The goblin chuckled, an ugly, grating sound. "Let's just say that goblin youth are a bit more… modern. A lot of us are rather impressed by what you did."

_Well, they should be._ Albus thought as they went around a sharp curve. _Voldemort wasn't exactly a walk in the park, from what they've said…_

"I mean," the goblin continued, "No one had ever done it before, and to escape on a _dra- _"

_What?_

"Thank you, Slicktooth," Harry interrupted with his voice raised. "I appreciate the sentiments, and I'm sure my _children_ do, too," he said, putting a meaningful emphasis on the word.

A look of realization dawned on the goblin's face, quickly followed by embarrassment, which was not an emotion Albus had known that goblins could express. "Ahhh, I see. Well, here we are." And indeed, they were slowing down. As the cart stopped and they got out, another cart full of red hair zoomed past, and Albus caught a glimpse of a very green looking Rose and Aunt Hermione.

_What was that goblin talking about?

* * *

_

Ten minutes later, they made their way back out into the sunshine of Diagon Alley.

"Mum, where are we going first?" Lily asked eagerly. "I want ice cream!"

"Lily, it's eight o'clock in the morning, why on Earth do you want ice cream?" their mother asked. "Aren't you hyper enough without it? Come on, you all need new clothes, let's go to Madam Malkin's first."

"Mum," Albus spoke, seized by sudden inspiration and excitement. "Can Rose and I go and get our wands first?"

She hesitated.

Their father spoke. "Ron and I can take them to get their wands while you two take the other three to get new robes and clothes."

"Actually," Aunt Hermione spoke up, "I was thinking I'd get their books, save them a trip."

"Alright, whatever works, let's go get these two their wands," Uncle Ron waved her off, obviously eager to visit the wand shop.

They split up once again, and Albus and Rose followed their fathers to the dark and dusty Ollivander's Wand Shop.

As they entered, an ancient man behind the counter looked up. "Merlin, he looks just like you, Mr. Potter," he said, looking at Albus. He felt his face turn red. "And Mr. Weasley - well, I suppose we should be thankful she looks more like her mother, eh?"

His father chuckled. "Yes, we should. These two need wands."

"Obviously, obviously…" Mr. Ollivander said, turning around, and picking up two tape measure off a table behind the counter. "Now, who's first? How about you, Miss Weasley? GRIMBOLD! A little help up front, please!"

Even Albus's father seemed taken aback by Ollivander's sudden bellowing, and the old man seemed to notice. "Aye, sorry to yell. Grimbold is my new apprentice. I'm getting up there in years, and don't have any children of my own, so he'll take over the shop when I decide to call it quits - or something does me in, whichever comes first, hmm?"

Albus wasn't quite sure what to think of the old man. His father had described him as rather creepy, but he seemed to him to be rather exuberant and cheerful. _Maybe we caught him on a good day. Or maybe he's just old and crazy._

They heard a noise, and a stout young man, perhaps twenty-five, with dark hair and hunched shoulders, came shuffling down one of the aisles. "Yes, _Herr _Ollivander?" He asked in a thick foreign accent. Albus noticed a heavy scowl seemed to be etched on the young man's face.

"Grimbold, start pulling wands you think might be suitable for these two. The young lady will be first."

Grimbold looked at Rose, who visible shrunk under his harsh glare. His eyes then moved to Albus, who stared back warily. Finally, his eyes came to rest on Albus's father, and with a nod, moved off down one of the many aisles lined with boxes of wands.

"Yes, he's a most peculiar soul," said Ollivander in a low voice as he gave a wave of his own wand, and the tape measures flew into action. "But he's terribly bright, and a truly great craftsman. I found him in Germany, and invited him to return with me. He initially declined, but I came downstairs one morning a few months later to find him already inside, combing phoenix feathers. Doesn't say much, but he has a passion for the work. That will do."

The tape measures returned to the counter, just as Grimbold returned to the front with a large stack of boxes. "Miss Weasley, here, try this." Ollivander took one of the stacks off the top. "Hawthorn and phoenix feather, rather springy. Nine and a half inches."

Albus watched Rose eagerly take the wand from Mr. Ollivander, and give it a wave. Nothing happened. Rose frowned at it and waved it harder. They heard a loud crashing noise from the back of the store, where Rose had been pointing the wand. Albus winced.

"No, no…" Ollivander snatched the wand back. "Here, holly and unicorn hair, ten inches even. Good for healing spells."

Rose took the wand with a little more trepidation this time, and gave it a very ginger wave. A few gold sparks shot from the end, and she looked slightly pleased, but Ollivander snatched it back. "I don't think - here, this one…"

And so they continued, through a good dozen wands, before finally, Rose gave a wave of a ten and a half inch willow wand with a unicorn hair. A shower of red and gold sparks flew out the end, and Mr. Ollivander's hair stood on end.

"Yes! Very good, very good! I believe we have found something that works!" Rose smiled at his words. "Now for you, young Master Potter. Grimbold, would you like to set him up with his wand?" Neither Albus nor Grimbold looked particularly pleased with the prospect, but Ollivander had already disappeared into the back.

Grimbold scowled at Albus. "Here," he said in his thick accent. "Yew. Dragon heartstring. _Zwölf_ inches." Albus reached out and took the wand from Grimbold, ignoring the ugly look on the young man's face. He gave it a wave, but, like Rose, nothing happened. Grimbold snatched the wand back quickly. "_Nein, nein… _here. Try. Vine. Unicorn _haar_. _Zehneinhalb."_

"What?"

"_Zehneinhalb! _Ten and one half."

"Ah." Albus took the wand and gave it a flick. Purple sparks flew out of the tip, but Grimbold once again grabbed the wand away.

"_Nein, nein…_"

And so, as it did for Rose, the process continued, but for much longer. The more wands they went through, the nastier Grimbold seemed to get, and it was apparent that the adults didn't quite know what to think of the young man (Rose was busy gently flicking her new wand when her father wasn't looking). Finally, Grimbold pulled an old, battered box from the middle of the stack, opened it up, and handed a wand so pale it was almost white to Albus. "Here." Albus was surprised to hear his voice much softer. "Ash. Feather. Eleven and one half." Albus took the wand from the young man, and instantly felt a warm feeling creep up his arm and through his body. He didn't wave it. He knew. He looked up at Grimbold to see, much to his surprise, a tremendous smile cross his face, no trace of his previous anger present.

"I take it that means we've found a match?" His father asked, still looking at Grimbold rather apprehensively.

"_Ja._ A good match, indeed."

"_GRIMBOLD!_" All five of them turned to see Mr. Ollivander standing at the end of one of the far aisles, a look of angry astonishment on his face. _"Geben Sie ihm das nicht!"_

Grimbold stared back. "Es ist mine zu geben."

Albus and his family stared in surprise at the two men arguing in German. Both were silent for a moment, and then Ollivander approached, and whispered something in Grimbold's ear. Grimbold backed up and looked hard at Ollivander. _"Ich verstehe."_

Mr. Ollivander give him a disapproving look, and then turned to Albus. "Are you sure you want this wand?"

Albus was nonplussed. "Yes! That sensation was incredible, it just feels… right!"

"Okay, then. You have your wands, I wish you both the best of luck with them."

"How much for Rose's?" Uncle Ron asked.

"Oh, Mr. Weasley. You do not pay here. I have not forgotten that you helped save my life. I would offer the same to you, Mr. Potter - unfortunately, that right is not mine to give with your son's chosen wand. The wand is the property of Grimbold, and only he can set a price for it."

Albus's father was visibly startled, and Rose's father had turned red at the mention of his heroics.

"Mr. Grimbold, you made this wand?" Albus's father asked.

"_Nein,"_ Grimbold responded, his voice now very soft. "_Mein Vater_ did. It vas one of ze last ones he ever made"

Albus still wasn't sure what the commotion had been about before.

"Mr. Grimbold, are you sure you want Albus to have this wand?" Harry asked quietly.

Grimbold stared hard at Albus. _"Ja,"_ he said simply.

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Albus' father spoke again. "How much for it?"

Grimbold was silent again, and then: "No charge." He looked at Albus, who swallowed hard. "Treat it with proper respect." And with that, he turned, walked down the aisle, and disappeared into the back.

* * *

"Albus! Rose! What took you all so long?" His mother was standing with Lily, Hugo, and James in the sitting area of Madam Malkin's. They appeared to have been waiting quite some time, as James was dozing in his chair. "James, get up, they're here!"

"Took a while to find the right one," Their father said simply.

"I'll say," James said. "I got mine on the fourth try, how many did it take you.?" He directed the question at Albus.

"More than that," Albus said, not meeting his brother's eye. He was still a little unnerved by the whole experience at Ollivander's.

"Well, get over there and get fitted, let's not dally," their mother chided.

Fifteen minutes later, Lily, Hugo, and Ginny were headed to the ice cream shop, their fathers were headed back to the Leaky Cauldron to meet with Neville Longbottom, whom they had gotten word had returned from Hogwarts, and James and Albus had dragged Rose to Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"I just don't see _why_ we have to go there! James already has everything he needs for his broom, and first years aren't allowed to fly except in lessons!"

"That doesn't mean we can't go just to _look, _Rose!" Albus said as they entered the store.

But looking was going to be hard, as the store was so packed with people that they had difficulty moving, let alone seeing anything for more than a split second.

"Why is this place so crowded?" James protested loudly, but the answer came quickly.

"Step right up, right here, for a free test ride on the all new _Valkyrie!_ This broom is specially designed for Seekers, with tremendous acceleration and agility. You'll have no problem beating your opponents to the Snitch on this beauty!" A man by a door near the trio was shouting loudly over the cacophony in the store, and was holding a beautiful golden broom over his head. There was a loud rumble, and people immediately began rushing to line up. Albus' eyes had widened upon seeing the broom, and took advantage of his small frame to dart through the crowd towards the man.

"Al!" Rose cried, but he ignored her. He kept the broom in his line of sight as he darted and weaved around the other patrons. He was almost there, and as he ducked around a man with an enormous belly -

_CRACK_

Albus stumbled backwards, clutching his head, and tumbled to the floor. He blinked the stars out of his eyes, and looking around, immediately found the source of his fall: A small girl with long brown hair was sitting in a similar position to him nearby, also holding her head gingerly. She fixed him with angry hazel eyes.

"Watch where you're going, Bludger-brains!"

Albus opened his eyes wide in surprise. "Me? _You_ watch where _you're_ going! _You_ ran into _me!"_

"I certainly did not," the girl retorted. "You were running with a look on your face like a dog running for a bone, and _you_ smacked right into _me _without looking!"

Albus flushed and searched for something to say, but as he _had_ been so focused on getting to the broom, he didn't know if what the girl was saying was the truth or not. "Well, you should have moved, if you think you're good enough to ride that broom. I'd hate to see you with a Bludger coming at you! Probably would just sit there and let it - "

"OI!" The shopkeeper holding the broom shouted. "How's about _both_ of you take your Bludgerin' selves and get out, as you're holding up potential customers! I doubt either of you has enough money on you to buy this broom, so you might as well just clear out!"

Both children just glared at each other from their positions on the floor as if daring the other to leave first, until James came up to the side of Albus, lifted him up, and pulled him, protesting, from the shop.

"James! Why'd you do that?" Albus protested as they once again entered the sunlit alleyway.

"Besides the fact that I reckon that guy was about to give you a permanent ban? Not to mention the fact that that girl looked like she was about to curse you?"

"I can handle myself," Albus muttered, as the girl in question pushed past them, marching quickly down the alley.

"Yeah, sure you can," James sniggered.

"Where are we going, now?" Rose asked, but before anyone could answer, they were interrupted.

"James! Al! Rose!" Albus heard his father's voice calling from behind them, and turned to see him and Rose's father standing a little ways behind them. "Come on," he said. "Rose's mum has already gotten everything else you'll need, let's stop and get some ice cream before heading home. Al, what happened to your head? You've got an enormous bruise by your eye!"

* * *

The ice cream cheered Albus up, and he enjoyed sitting in the shade with his brother and cousin (his mum and aunt had taken Lily and Hugo home, as they had gotten into a tremendous fight which resulted in Hugo wiping ice cream out of his hair), watching various people come up and say hello to his father and uncle, and introducing themselves to the kids. By the time they had finished his treat, he had met Seamus Finnegan, a wizard who worked in the Ministry Registrar's Office and had gone to school with his parents, Horace Slughorn, a former Potions professor and Deputy Headmaster who had praised his father to no end, Demelza Robbins, a woman whom his father said was an excellent Chaser for Gryffindor in her time, and many others. As they finished, Uncle Ron spoke up. "Well, I suppose there's only one stop left."

"Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes?" James volunteered.

"Hah! As if you need to go there! Like your uncle George doesn't give you free things every time he sees you," their father laughed. "No, we need to get these two pets. I reckon you'd want owls?"

Albus's heart leaped. _An owl!_ Of course, they had the family owl, Delilah, and James's owl, Bob (James had an interesting sense of humor), but he had wanted one of his own to take to school. "Of course! Let's go!"

Ten minutes later they left Eeylops's Owl Emporium, Albus clutching a cage with a small but speedy owl, black with a few odd white feathers here and there, and Rose with an enormous tawny owl.

"What are you going to name yours?" Albus asked.

"Jupiter," Rose answered promptly.

Albus was taken aback. "That was quick. How'd you come up with it so fast?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "It was already his name, Al. See? Right here on the side of the cage!"

Uncle Ron roared with laughter. "Rosie, that's the name of the company that makes the cage!"

Rose blushed deep as Albus stifled a smirk. "Well - I like it anyway, so that's going to be his name! What are you going to name _yours_, Al?"

Albus shrugged. "I don't know. It'll probably come naturally. Actually, I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl." Albus lifted the cage up so the owl was at eye level. "Are you a boy?" He asked, not really expecting a reaction.

The small owl squawked loudly, and gave Albus a reproachful look.

Uncle Ron laughed again. "Apparently not." Albus blushed.

His father smiled. "C'mon. Let's get home. You'll have all the time in the world to name the poor creature."

And so, they departed for the Leaky Cauldron, and home, all thoughts of the girl from the Quidditch store, Grimbold, and most importantly, any nightmares, banished from his mind in the happiness of the moment.


	3. Of Dinnertime Discussion

**Chapter 3**

**Of Dinnertime Discussion

* * *

**

The night before they were due to leave for Hogwarts, Albus's grandparents held an enormous feast at the Burrow. The entire family was there, and then some: There were close to thirty people squashed in around the long table in the garden, friends and family alike. Albus was wedged in between his cousins Molly and Rose, and he was glad he was near the center of the table: He could catch more of the conversations that way. And the conversations certainly were interesting:

"I swear, we would've been stuck in that closet all night if I hadn't gotten Filch with that Confundus Charm!" James was saying.

"You did not!" Their cousin Molly protested. "Hannah Warborough said it was _her_ that did the spell!"

"Well, Hannah is a fine witch, and a lovely person, but I'm afraid she's terribly confused." James sniffed.

"What were you doing in a closet at night with Hannah Warborough?" His father asked, giving James a look. Harry had strategically placed himself next to James for the express purpose of catching stories of his misdeeds at school (James and Fred liked to brag at family gatherings), while Teddy Lupin and Uncle George had chosen seats nearby for… pretty much the same reason.

James turned bright red. "Hiding from Filch, obviously! Don't look at me like that, Dad, Fred was supposed to be there, too, but he landed himself in detention!"

"That's so much better, James, really."

"You're one to talk, Harry, I could tell him about all the places you hid with Ginny when you were in school. Or Cho, for that matter. Hell, even _Ron_, for _that_ matt - "

"Alright, thank you, George, I'm sure you'd love for me to tell Fred stories of all the things you got up to in school."

"I sure would, I think he's tired of hearing them from me, why don't you have a go!"

"Hmm, I don't know, I'm not sure I've quite the _ear_ for telling stories…"

"Weak."

"Yeah, I thought so, too but I had to try…"

His cousins Victoire and Lucy were talking the more educational aspects of school: "I took Care of Magical Creatures my third year, but I ended up dropping it. It was just too much combined with Arithmancy and Ancient Runes," Victoire was saying, while Lucy nodded in rapt attention.

Albus didn't know what Arithmancy and Ancient Runes were, but Care of Magical Creatures sounded much more interesting. He thought of his little black owl, which he had named Struana (a name he had found in one of his school books, upon his father's recommendation). She had turned out to be quite a cheerful little thing, if sometimes a tad stuck up.

"Well, I figure as long as they've modified the schedule so that we can take all the classes, I might as well try it," Lucy responded.

Albus remembered hearing about the schedule changes a few years prior: Aunt Hermione had thrown a fit, indignant that they hadn't done it while she was still in school.

"You'll be singing a different tune in a few months, trust me, little cousin." Victoire gave a smug grin, eliciting a scowl from Lucy.

Teddy, Hugo, and Louis were doing their best to mock Dominique as she talked a mile a minute, telling Lily and Roxanne all about the boys at Hogwarts. "The Quidditch players are the - shut UP, Teddy! They're the best. I mean, they're all muscular and handsome. The older ones, I mean. Obviously not the younger ones. Well, you might find the younger ones cute since you're their age, but - Louis, I swear, you are going to be in a world of pain when we get home. There's this one cute boy named Yeremiah on the Ravenclaw team, he's got that 'strong, confident' feeling about him. Oh, and the Hufflepuff Captain, his body is SOOO toned, and he's _exotic_, his name's Ukewembe Ado - "

"Yuko-what?" Lily interrupted.

"You-keh-whem-bee."

"There was more," Hugo protested.

"What?"

"You said more after that, not just Yu-ko-wom-bee."

"…That was his last name. Ado."

"Oh."

"Yeah. You weirdo. Anyway. Although I think I might prefer the cute seventh year on the team, his name's Aaron, that's easier to say. He plays, uh, what's it called. The one who sits in the same spot the whole time, what is it, 'Catcher?'"

"Keeper!" All three boys said together, annoyed at the lack of Quidditch knowledge present at their end of the table.

Dominique smirked. "Remember that, ladies. If you ever want to get a guy to go away, just start butchering Quidditch terms. They'll get mad and walk away before you finish your sentence."

Teddy scoffed. "Well, if you want to play hardball, we'll just correct you. You see, he doesn't 'sit in the same spot the whole time,' he's circling the goals, ready to move in any direction at the slightest need. And his name's Adam, so you were still wrong there, too."

Dominique's glares could cut through any of the rest of them and give them shivers, but Teddy merely raised his glass at her before chugging its contents. Victoire left an argument about Divination versus Astronomy with Lucy to give Teddy a suspicious look, before grabbing his glass and sniffing it. "Teddy! You're not going _out _later, are you?"

He gave the blonde a cheeky wink. "Maybe…"

"And you didn't invite me?"

"I don't know if that's the best thing, I mean, you've only _just _became of age…"

"Right, because that totally stopped you. _Age restrictions _for drinking."

"Never stopped him with magic, either," Andromeda Tonks called from the far end of the table. "I've got a scrapbook full of letters from the Ministry about 'improper use' of this, 'misuse' of that, 'lude and obscene use' of Merlin only knows what…"

"I didn't need magic for that last one," Teddy whispered to Victoire. "Thank you for that, Grandmother!" He shouted down the table.

"Any time," she responded, then returned to her conversation with Arthur and Molly.

"Either he hasn't figured out that my hearing is better-than average, or else he doesn't care," she said to them, shaking her head.

"I don't care, Grandmother!" Came the call from down the table. "I have the same ears too, you know!"

Andromeda sighed. "Indeed he does. Arthur, what were you saying about Ratchet?"

"Oh, right. Simply that his new rules for the Registrar's Office are making it incredibly difficult to get anywhere, when you have to fill out every little detail about everything everybody's ever done. Gone to Hogwarts, sure I can see how we need to know that. Work for Creative Potioneers Apothecary? Sure, why not. Father's weight at time of birth? Maaaaaaybe we're stretching it a bit far, here."

"Does that mean the father's weight at the time of his own birth? Or the birth of whomever the form's about?"

"They don't know, but at least it's just forms, not as bad as what Percy has to deal with."

"Yeah, Perce, tell us what you've been getting up to, lately! Regulating the size of trolls' ear bogies?"

"Bill, dear, you're past forty. Picking on your little brother is a bit frowned upon at that age."

"Right you are, Mum. Percival, you have my most sincere apologies, and my polite interest in your day to day activities."

"I'm sure I do. Well, at any rate, we've actually had some angry negotiations with some of the Eastern European Ministries, lately. They seem to believe we are harboring fugitives of theirs here, and as far as anyone I've talked to knows, we're certainly not. Audrey, can you pass the gravy, love?"

His wife passed the requested sauce, then returned to her conversation with Hermione and Hannah.

"So, if Dorothy Ann's seven, now, then she should be allowed to go to Hogwarts in…

"Four more years, yes," Hannah nodded, smiling.

"And where is she tonight, anyway?"

"Neville's Gran's got her tonight; figured she let us get a night to escape."

"That was nice of - Ginny, what on earth is so funny?"

The imposing, redheaded mother of three was slumped in her chair, giggling like a schoolgirl. As the adults around turned to watch, the source of her amusement became clear: The small blonde haired woman with large eyes sitting across the table had plucked a piece of asparagus off of her plate and tucked it neatly behind her ear next to her wand, and was eating the rest of her food as though nothing was out of the ordinary (and, indeed, for anyone who knew Luna Lovegood-Scamander, nothing _was _out of the ordinary - in fact, this could be considered quite rational behavior).

Ginny stopped giggling long enough to talk. "Oh, I've missed you, Luna, what have you been up to?"

The odd woman looked up. Her eyes were wide, as though she was surprised to find a full table of people in front of her. "Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Professor Sprout and I finally finished our work on those rare fungi in Tibet, so Rolf and I decided to take the boys to Scandinavia. Ever since we found that family of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks in Sweden, we've suspected they have relatives in Norway or Finland."

"I still can't believe those were real," Uncle Ron muttered under his breath.

"Of course they're real, Ronald, the Quibbler was publishing articles about them for years!"

"What's a Krunkled Horned Snorlax?" Albus asked, latching onto the conversation, which most of the table was now listening to.

"Oh, it's simply the most marvelous creature! It has the body of a - "

"Isn't that what Hagrid accidentally let loose in the castle last year?" James interrupted.

"Yes, one of them consented to come back with us, and visit Hogwarts' Care of Magical Creatures classes, but upon seeing Hagrid, immediately tried to flee. I suppose he _is _rather alarming, isn't he?"

"Yeah, you should've seen Hagrid and Phinean trying to catch that thing!" Fred laughed.

"I would've thought Phinean could've just flown after it and caught it that way," James said, sniggering.

All the school age children laughed, but Albus could see that Rose was also confused. "He can fly?"

"Of course! Can't all vampires?"

"James! Professor Phinean is not a vampire!"

"Whatever you say, Lucy. Haven't you seen his teeth?"

This got Albus's attention. _A vampire, teaching at Hogwarts?_

"He's not a vampire! He chased that thing onto the grounds in daylight, remember?"

"Oh, yeah…"

"What are the other teachers like?" Rose asked.

Lucy took over the conversation, now in her element. "Oh, well, Professor Flitwick, he's the Charms teacher, he's part goblin - "

"Yet you still say Phinean can't be a vampire."

"Be quiet, Fred. Anyway, he's very nice. Professor Moorehead can be… gruff, but she's a good teacher. Of course, we know Neville… Professor Binns is rather dull, but very informative."

"'Rather dull?' I can't pay attention for more than two minutes in that class!"

"I know the feeling," Uncle George said, smirking at his son. Fred gave him a high-five.

" - and Professor Caydarah, well, she's young, and she dresses rather… interestingly, but she's very nice."

"You mean she's a tramp." Victoire sniffed from the end of the table.

"Victoire! Watch your language!" Her mother scolded.

"Mum, what's a tramp?" Lily asked, smirking. Albus had to stifle a laugh. He doubted Lily cared much what a tramp was (although he was rather curious) - he knew she was only asking because she could tell that the adults were embarrassed by their cousin's choice of words.

"Eat your potatoes, Lily."

"And Professor Creevey, he teaches Muggle Studies, he's great, he really knows his subject, and he's a lot of fun in class!"

"I'm so glad he got that class to be made mandatory," their grandfather said. "I just wish that it could've been done sooner."

"Professor McGonagall - well, she's retired now, so I suppose you won't meet her," Lucy finished.

"Who's the Head Boy and Girl this year? Anyone we know?" Uncle Bill asked, and all the older girls burst out into giggles.

"What?" He asked, thoroughly nonplussed.

"Conrad Clearview," Dominique said, blushing.

"Ah. Say no more," her father said, returning his attention to his steak, sighing.

"Who's that?" Albus said, puzzled at the odd behavior shared by most of the girls: Even Lucy was red.

"He's _soooo _cute! He's the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and he's _never_ failed to catch the Snitch! I hear he's even got offers from Pride of Portree, Appleby, _and_ Montrose! He's also a Prefect, top of his class, and - "

"Didn't you hear the man? 'Say no more!'" Teddy shook his head at the behavior of the girls. "Merlin, you girls all get so damned irrational around him! It's a wonder he doesn't have a swollen head, the way you all slobber - "

"Oh, stuff it, Teddy," Dominique said. "Anyway, the Head Girl is some Ravenclaw, I don't know her."

"Rebecca Gold," Victoire said, looking rather cross, Albus thought. _I suppose now we know who wanted to be Head Girl._

The conversation separated into more adult topics at the one end, and more girlish topics at the other, and Albus felt his eyes growing heavy. _Darn turkey. Always does this to me._

Albus felt himself drifting off in his chair, until he found Rose shaking him an indeterminate amount of time later. "Al! You there? Everyone's leaving!"

He looked up in surprise, and indeed, around the table, people were standing up and getting ready to leave. He shook his head. "Oi. I'm looking forward to bed tonight."

* * *

"_Potter, Albus."_

_Albus took a nervous forward, and as his foot touched the first step towards the bedraggled hat, he realized what was happening. He paused. "This is a dream."_

_The tall, dark-haired wizard who was always there in his dreams gave him a cold look. "Is it, now?"_

"_Yes. It's the same one I always have. I'm going to put on the hat, and it's going to send me to Slytherin."_

_The man tilted his head a bit. "Is it a good dream?"_

_Albus shook his head slowly. "No. It's not."_

"_Why not?"_

"_I don't want to be in Slytherin. More Dark wizards have come out of Slytherin than any other house. I don't want to be there. I'm not Dark."_

"_You don't have to be dark to be in Slytherin. And you don't have to be in Slytherin to be dark."_

"_But - "_

"_You make the House. The House doesn't make you."_

_Albus stared at the man in wonder for a moment. "Who are you?"

* * *

_

Albus woke with a start. He rolled over and looked at his clock. It read half past nine in the morning. _Half past nine… The train leaves at eleven!_ He threw himself out of bed, and ran over to his trunk, which stood open in the corner.

"Robes… books… cauldron… no, NO!" As he fumbled with the contents of his trunk, his Collapsible Cauldron un-collapsed, sending everything into disarray.

Lily opened the bedroom door. "Hey Al," she said, smiling. "We're way behind schedule, nobody knows where Dad is, and Mum's throwing a fit. Better hurry up!" She flashed him an evil grin and shut the door.

Albus finished stuffing the last of his belongings into his trunk, closed it, and sat on it crosslegged to shut it all the way. He heard a series of clicks, and stood up smiling, before realizing that he had put the clothes he was going to wear for the day in his trunk, also. "Oh, no!"

Ten minutes later, he came down the stairs into the kitchen, dressed in Muggle attire with his wand in his pocket, dragging his trunk behind him.

"Al, thank goodness you're ready. Put your trunk outside, your dad should home soon, I don't know what's keeping him - where's your owl?"

Albus gasped. He had forgotten to grab Struana; the little black owl was very quiet, and Albus often forgot she was in the room until he did something she found objectionable.

He sprinted back up the stairs, almost bowling over James at the top. "Have you seen my wand?"

"No, I - How do you lose your _wand?_"

"Well, maybe if we were allowed to _use_ it over the summer, I wouldn't have lost it!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Albus ran into his room, grabbed the owl's cage (she awoke with a loud squawk), and ran back down the stairs, this time almost colliding with his father.

"Harry! What took you? It'll be a miracle if we make it on time!" His mother's panicked voice followed him as he took his trunk and Struana outside. When he looked up, his eyes opened in surprise.

"Dad, you got a different car?" Every year, they drove an old banged up car that made a terrible banging noise the whole way to Kings Cross. His parents didn't see the point in getting a better car, since that was about the only time they needed to use one, so Albus was surprised to see a shiny purple sedan sitting in front of their house.

His mother and father appeared at his shoulder. "Yeah, Arcturas felt bad about holding me up, so he let me borrow his car so we could get their on time. It's got, er, some… extra features." Here, Albus saw his father give his mother a wink, an his eyes grew wide in surprise as a wicked smile grew on her face.

"Excellent… as long as these 'extra features' actually work!"

"Oh, they work…"

Five minutes later, they were all seated with plenty of elbow room in the magically expanded car. Their father had a huge grin on his face. "It's been a while since I've done this."

"Well, don't screw it up, we're already running late."

"Mum! Such language!"

Albus was surprised to hear his mother laugh in response to James' chiding. "Let's do it," she said, and the car turned invisible around them.

"Whoa!"

"Cool!"

"Wicked!"

The car accelerated, and then lifted off the ground with a low growl. Within a minute, they were soaring through clouds, and into a brilliant morning sun.

"Dad, why don't we have one of these?" Lily asked.

"Because your grandmother would have a fit."

"Harry!"

"Well, that's the only reason keeping _me_ from getting one. I don't get out on my broom much anymore."

They settled down beneath the cloud cover, and watched the ground go by beneath them, in brilliant patches of blue, green, and brown.

"So, Dad, you think you can get me into Hogwarts next year?" Lily asked suddenly, still cheerful.

"What? You're still two years away from being able to go!" Their father responded, confused.

"But I'm sure _you_ could get them to let me in a year early, and just think of all the benefits: I'll be out a year early, and able to start my life earlier, and get more done, sooner!"

"Great, you can get out and get married and have babies even sooner. Fantastic plan, Lily."

"Dad! That's not what I meant!" The whole car laughed.

"Lily, you're not going early. The reason students start after their 11th birthday is because that is how long it takes for your magic to develop to a point where you can learn to control it properly. Any sooner, and you likely wouldn't be able to do as much as the older kids, no matter how talented you may be."

"But, I mean, my birthday's in September! I'm going to be 10 in just a few weeks! I'll be 11 not long after school starts next year!"

"You're not going."

"But, _DAD!_"

"Lily, don't whine. It'll be your turn when it's your turn! It's not that long!"

"But, _MUM!_"

"Lily, stuff it. Nobody wants you there anyway."

"You're so mean, James!"

"Am not, monkey cheeks."

"Frog lips."

"Lizard breath."

"Rat tail."

"Get stuffed."

"Make me!"

"No."

"Hah. James can't make me, James can't make me, James can't make me, James can't - "

"SHUT UP, LILY!" The whole car roared.

* * *

Half an hour later, the conversation had mellowed out and returned to the year ahead of James and Albus at Hogwarts.

"So, looking forward to the Sorting?" Their mother asked Albus.

"I suppose."

"Maybe you'll get lucky, and the Hat will go loopy again this year."

"What?" Their father asked, confused.

"Oh, you didn't hear about that?" James was surprised. "Yeah, my first year, the Hat had itself a fit in the middle of the Sorting, started shouting about not being treated with respect, after somebody dropped it. Victoire said it did something similar a few years before. Started singing a drinking song at the top of its voice - while someone was wearing it. She said the staff suspects the enchantments on it were tampered with - or else it's just going senile."

"Can hats go senile?" Lily asked.

"Apparently," James answered.

"I can't say I blame it," their mother said. "Must be a pretty boring life."

"So, have your dream again recently?" James asked Albus, smirking.

"James…" Their mother said warningly, looking back.

Albus started at the mention of the dream: He had forgotten about it since he had woken up, and was startled to remember the differences from his usual dreams.

"Yeah… but it was different."

James stopped smirking, and even his mother looked interested.

"I knew it was a dream this time. I didn't put on the hat, I just told the professor there that I knew it was a dream, and I knew that the hat would send me to Slytherin when I put it on."

Now he knew the entire car was listening. Even Lily, sulking in the middle, was pouting a little less, and he could tell that his father was splitting his attention between driving and paying careful attention. It was the first time any of them had heard him talk about his recurring nightmares.

"He asked if it was a good dream, which I found odd. Of course it wasn't a good dream! I told him I didn't want to be in Slytherin, and he said that not everyone from Slytherin was Dark. Which I had figured, but, I mean, so many Dark wizards come out of there, and I don't want to be in there with people like that…

He trailed off. "Then he said something odd. He said 'the House doesn't make you; you make the House.'"

In the front seat, his father started, eyes wide. "Dad, what is it?"

"Where did you hear that before?" He asked Albus, a sharp edge to his voice.

"I don't know, just that dream. Why?"

"Harry, are you okay?" Their mom started.

"I… I heard somebody else say that, once…"

Albus was intrigued. "Was it during the war?" Anything that could make his father jump like that had to be related to something that happened during the war.

"No," he responded, surprising Albus. "It was after." Here, he shot their mother a meaningful look. Her eyes also opened in surprise for a moment, then iced over. She turned and looked out the window. _There's something going on there…_

James was more vocal with his confusion. "Mum, what's Dad talking about?"

"Nothing."

"What do you mean, nothing!"

"Nothing, now be quiet."

"But - "

"Yeah, James, you heard her, be quiet," Albus interjected, desperate to shut his older brother up.

"You shut up, what, are you sucking up, now? That's a great trait for Slytherins…"

"Shut up."

"Little Snaky…"

"I'm not going to be in Slytherin!"

"Sure, that's what you think, even your dreams think that's where you'll be! That last one more or less told you, you'll be there and you'll have to make it better. I don't fancy that job."

Albus's heart sank. _Was that what that last dream meant?_

Before he could ponder anymore, the car took a sudden dip downward. "We're almost there," his father said.

"All right!" James yelled, and Albus couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. The car landed in an empty alley near the train station, and their father turned off the invisibility booster. They pulled out onto the street and quickly found a parking spot. The clouds above were turning gray. A storm was coming. All five of them piled out of the car, and as Albus looked at the large train station in front of him, he felt James clasp him on the shoulder. "Welcome, Albus," he said with far more drama than was warranted. "To the beginning of your Hogwarts career!"


	4. The Journey to Hogwarts

**Chapter 4**

**The Journey to Hogwarts**

**

* * *

**"Al, get your head back in the train before something takes it off!" Rose scolded.

Albus ducked his head back inside the window and looked at his cousin. "Really, Rose. Nothing's going to hit me, I'm sure whoever's charmed this thing has thought of that."

"Or perhaps they thought of it, and then decided that if a student was dumb enough to stick his head out of a moving train, that he deserved whatever came to him."

Albus rolled his eyes at her. "C'mon, let's find a compartment." Albus grabbed his trunk and Struana's cage, and started heading down the corridor. Rose sniffed, but followed. As they made their way down the length of the train, searching for an open compartment, Albus noticed the heads turning as they passed. Each time eye contact was made with anyone, Albus noticed they quickly looked away, as if embarrassed to be caught looking. He frowned. _Is it that big of a deal?…_

About halfway down the train, the pair happened upon a compartment that only had two occupants, a dark haired boy and girl who wore the plain black robes of unSorted first years, and who, to Albus, looked to be siblings, if not twins. "Hi," he said, sliding open the door. "Can we join you? It seems like everywhere else is full."

The boy looked up at Albus, then to the girl, then back to Albus. "No."

Albus started, and Rose spoke up. "Um… okay… but I don't know if we have a choice, I think all the other compartments are full, we might have to sit here."

"No."

Albus was becoming irritated. "Well, why not? There's plenty of room, we don't even have to talk to each other! We can - what are you doing?"

The two dark haired children had stood up and drawn their wands in the blink of an eye "Did you not hear what my brother said?" The girl confirmed Albus's suspicions about their relation. "You may not sit here."

Albus blinked. He hadn't been expecting such a violent reaction. Rose, however, had moved beyond irritation and was now reaching furious. She no longer had any desire to sit with these two, but she was not about to let their rude behavior slide. "What do you think you're going to do with those? Poke us? Nobody's learned any magic yet, quit messing around."

The boy's upper lip curled into a snarl, his eyes narrowed, and for a moment, Albus grew fearful that, despite being a first year, the boy might know some curses. Fortunately, the moment was broken by a voice a few compartments down. "Oi! We've got room. Don't bother with those tossers; you're welcome to sit with us." Albus turned to see a girl's head sticking out of the doorway, her shoulder-length, silvery-blonde hair clashing with her tan complexion and wild blue eyes. Albus turned back to look at the ill-tempered siblings one last time, both of whom were still standing, fingering their wands. He shut the door, and then he and Rose made their way to the offered compartment.

"Thanks," Albus said to the girl. "I don't know what their problem was."

"They did the same thing to me," a tall, brown-haired boy in the corner of the compartment that Albus hadn't noticed from the hall spoke up. "I reckon they just don't want to be here."

"How could they not want to go to Hogwarts!" Rose exclaimed. "I've been dying to go for years!"

"I think we all have," the girl said. "Have a seat! Want a Chocolate Frog?"

Albus was starving: He hadn't had any time to eat, what with all the commotion in the morning. "Absolutely."

The girl tossed him the box as they stowed their trunks and sat down. "Who'd you get? Oooh, Harry Potter, that's a rare one, I've been trying for ages to find one. Lucky!"

Albus couldn't help but laugh at the coincidence. "They're not that rare for me; the company sent us about a hundred. He's my dad."

The boy in the corner gave Albus an intrigued look. The girl's jaw dropped for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. "Well, then give it to me! I don't have one." And she snatched the card back as Albus laughed. "I'm Olivia. Nice to meet you, Mr. Harry-Potter's-son."

"Albus."

"Albus. And you must be Ron and Hermione Weasley's daughter. You look like pictures I've seen of them."

"Rose."

"Nice to meet you. The quiet one's Ewan; he needed rescuing from those two, also."

"I didn't need rescuing, thank you very much," the boy named Ewan protested. "And I'm not that quiet - you just talk too much for anyone to get a word in."

Olivia shrugged. "Same difference."

Albus munched on the Chocolate Frog, as their companions studied him and Rose. "Either of you have any brothers or sisters at school?" He asked.

Both of them shook their heads. "Nope," said Ewan. "I've got a younger sister, but she won't be here for a few years, yet."

"I'm blessed enough to be an only child," Olivia said, sarcasm oozing from every syllable.

"Seriously?" Said Albus. "I'd love to be an only child, my older brother picks on - I mean, my older brother's a jerk."

Olivia frowned. "It's boring! I don't even have any cousins or neighbors that live nearby, I'm all alone."

Albus hadn't thought of it that way. "Oh. I can see how that would be bad."

The other girl looked at Rose. "What about you? Any siblings?"

"A younger brother, Hugo. He's still two years away from coming here, though."

Olivia nodded slowly. " I see. So, what House do you think you'll be in? Oh, silly question, isn't it, your parents were all in Gryffindor, right? I could go anywhere: My dad was a Ravenclaw, and I've got two uncles who were in Gryffindor and Slytherin. My mom didn't go to Hogwarts, though - she went to the magic school in Athens. I think I'll be in Gryffindor, though. My dad likes to tell me that I speak my mind far too often to go anywhere else. He's been saying that ever since I was three, and told my grandfather he was hairy, and then kicked him when he hexed me."

_The girl certainly does talk a lot,_ Albus thought.

"You talk too much, Stormcloud," Ewan echoed Albus's thoughts, smirking.

"'Stormcloud?' We've known each other ten minutes and you're already calling me names?"

"Haven't you ever seen any Muggle television or movies? You look a lot like Storm from the X-Men! And you certainly sound like you bring trouble, like a stormcloud does. It fits!"

"I don't have much to do with Muggle stuff. My whole family's wizards. I take it yours isn't?"

"My mum's a Muggle, and we live in London. My father died when I was real young, but my mum said he was a Hufflepuff. From what he told her about it, she thinks I'm too much of a smart aleck to end up there, though."

"I can tell." Olivia rolled her eyes. "What about you, Rose?"

"I don't know," said Rose. "I mean, my mum told me that she was almost put in Ravenclaw, I could go there."

Albus looked at the floor as he thought about his dreams, and what his father had told him on the platform.

"Ah, okay. What about you, Albus?"

_Darn it._ "I don't know. Gryffindor, I suppose. I don't think I'm quite smart enough for Ravenclaw, and I have to admit, I'm not always the hardest worker, so Hufflepuff's probably out."

"What about Slytherin?"

_Darn it! _Albus tried in vain not to look at the floor again.

She continued. "Not evil enough for Slytherin?" Albus looked up to see the girl smirking. "I'm joking! My uncle was in Slytherin, remember? Don't worry, he says that most of the people in there were decent enough; there were only a few creeps. I don't think you'll end up there, though. You don't seem the type."

Albus wasn't entirely reassured.

* * *

As the train made its way north, the storm that had been brewing opened up on the train. Rain hammered the roof of the compartment - not that Albus minded. He had always enjoyed the sound of rain. What he did mind, however, was that he was still hungry. "The snack cart!" He exclaimed, watching it pass by without stopping at their door. He jumped up.

"I'll come with you," Ewan said, standing up. "I'm starving."

"You had, like, ten Pumpkin Pasties!" Rose exclaimed.

Ewan grinned at her. "I guess I need a few more, then!"

The two boys went out into the aisle and saw the snack cart stopped about halfway down the carriage. They ran past the compartment with the rude twins, and Albus was slightly annoyed to see that they had deigned to allow two other students to join them, although, by the looks of them, they were no more pleasant than their companions. They stopped as they got to the cart, and Albus loaded up on as many Pumpkin Pasties, Fizzing Whizbees, Chocolate Frogs, and Cauldron Cakes as he could carry. Ewan selected a few Chocolate Frogs and frowned at the coins as he counted out the change. Albus turned around, his arms full, and almost smacked into a boy he hadn't noticed standing behind him. "Oh - hello," he said to the boy identified on the platform as Scorpius Malfoy.

Scorpius Malfoy stared at him for a moment with wide eyes. He opened his mouth - then abruptly shut it, turned around, and walked away.

"Oookay…" Albus said, baffled by the boy's behavior. "Well, that was weird."

"You know him?" Ewan asked.

"Not really. Our parents went to school together, but I guess they didn't get along."

"Ah. Well, I'm not feeling too good about our classmates so far," Ewan said. "We've got that weird fellow there, and Sunshine and Giggles in this compartment here - Hey, wait, hold on." He dropped his voice to a whisper, and stopped just past the twins' compartment, looking back.

"What?" Albus whispered back?"

"Let's just see if they say anything interesting. Try to look casual."

Albus shifted his weight from one foot to the other and leaned back against the wall. He wasn't good at trying to look like he wasn't up to something. "Uh..."

"Oh, nice, real natural."

"Sorry."

Ewan laughed. "No worries. I was just wondering what their story was, but it doesn't sound like they're saying much. Let's get back to our compartment."

Albus turned back down the corridor -

_CRASH_

- and dropped all the treats he was carrying as he ran into something very hard that squealed in protest. He stumbled, and looked around for whatever he had run into.

"Oh, no, not - "

"Don't you _ever_ watch where you're going! I swear!" The girl from Quality Quidditch Supplies snorted, and pushed past Albus and Ewan, stepping on a Cauldron Cake as she went.

Albus bent down to pick up his food. Ewan looked between Albus and the retreating girl's back. "Friend of yours?" he asked.

"Yeah, we got thrown out of a shop in Diagon Alley after getting in an argument," Albus said. "Alright, let's go, I've got everything, even this squished Cauldron Cake. I was looking forward to that one, too."

They made their way back into their compartment. "There you are! What took so long?" Rose exclaimed. "Did you buy the whole cart?"

Albus gave his cousin a dirty look. "Here, have a Cake."

* * *

An hour later, the weather had turned into a full out monsoon, and all four were beginning to wonder how much longer the train ride would be. "I'm bored!" Olivia exclaimed. "I can't wait for the Sorting, it's going to be so exciting!"

"We have to be getting close, we've been on here for hours," said Rose. "Oh! I was right, feel that? We're slowing down!"

And indeed they were. Albus' mind began racing, thinking about the Sorting, and where he would end up. He absent-mindedly stuck a finger into Struana's cage, who gave a happy chirp and pecked his finger.

"Alright, do we have everything?" Rose asked, standing up as the train came to a gentle stop. They had changed into their school uniforms about half an hour prior (Olivia had thrown the boys out while she changed, and Rose had been wearing her uniform since the morning), and many of the contents of their trunks had been strewn around the compartment in the process.

"They couldn't make these more comfortable?" Ewan was plucking at his collar.

"That's not the shirt, that's your hair," Rose scolded. Ewan's hair was indeed hanging low enough to tickle his collar.

The train came to a stop, and a soft voice came over an invisible intercom. "Please leave all belongings on the train. They will be taken to your dormitories for you."

Albus looked at his little owl, who seemed to have figured out what was going on, and had fluffed her feathers at the thought of being left behind. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine," he said. Struana hooted in a doubtful sort of way.

The door slid open on its own, and the four students joined the crowd pushing towards the exits of the train. Out on the platform, the rain pounded the students, most of whom were running for several carriages drawn by what Albus knew to be invisible thestrals. "Firs' years, o'er here!" A booming voice called out, and thunder echoed it as lightning flashed, etched against the black sky. Albus turned to see the enormous form of Rubeus Hagrid, groundskeeper and Keeper of the Keys of Hogwarts.

"Hagrid!" Albus shouted, as Olivia stared, wide-eyed, and Rose and Ewan attempted to shield themselves from the rain.

"You know him?" Olivia hissed. "Who is that? That's the biggest man I've ever seen!"

"That's Hagrid! He's great," Albus said, waving.

"Hello, there! How's you two doin' today? Fine weather we're havin', eh?" Hagrid laughed, as rain dripped down his face into his enormous beard, which was had become streaked with gray over the years.

"Speak for yourself!" Rose was shielding her head with her arms.

"Go on an' git yer selves in a boat, we'll be across in no time! As long as we don't fall in!" Hagrid laughed again, and Albus began to question the large man's sanity.

They ran down to the lake, and climbed in the nearest boat. "We're not going to fall in, are we?" Albus asked, nervous. He hadn't thought it was a possibility until Hagrid had mentioned it.

"Somebody probably will," Ewan stated matter-of-factly, with his robes still pulled over his head. "Albus, you do realize you're completely drenched, right?"

He had gotten off the train intending to shield himself, but was distracted upon seeing Hagrid. He had met the half-giant many times before - he was an old friend of his parents - and was quite fond of the large man. He would never forget the day, about five years prior, when his most memorable memory of Hagrid had occurred. He had been sitting on the floor of the living room, playing with his model Quidditch set, when the front door had burst open and Hagrid had charged in, very agitated about something.

"Al!" he had cried. "Where's yer father!"

Albus had just stared in shock, as the door teetered and fell off its hinges from the force of being opened by Hagrid. The next thing he heard was a shout of "_Petrificus Totalus!_" followed by a loud "oof!" as a red jet of light shot down the stairs, bounced off of Hagrid, and shot back up, hitting its caster.

"Harry! Oh, I'm sorry, I did'n mean ter scare yeh, but I 'ad ter come and thank yeh! Here, lemme get that fer yeh."

Albus had watched as Hagrid puffed out his chest, drew the biggest wand he'd ever seen, pointed it up the stairs at his unseen father, and said with pride, _"Finite Incantatum."_

"…They did it, then?" Albus's father had rushed down the stairs. "They overturned your expulsion?"

Hagrid had burst into sobs as he picked up Albus' father off the ground in a tremendous hug. "They did! It was yer testimony that did't! Minerva ev'n offered ter teach me herself anything I needed! Thank yeh, Harry, thank yeh!"

Albus smiled at the fond memory. "Al!" His cousin's sharp voice pulled him out of his trance. "Rain? Cover yourself?"

Albus looked at Rose through his rain soaked glasses and sighed. "Nah, it's too late, I'm already soaked."

"Suit yourself." She scoffed.

Hagrid's large form appeared again, this time at the front of all the boats. "Every'un ready? Okay, then, let's go!" He climbed into the lead boat, patted the side, and as one, all the boats slid forward into the water and began moving across the lake.

Albus tucked his arms into his cloak and shivered as another flash of lightning lit up the sky, much closer than the last. He hoped the ride was short. He may have been dreading the Sorting, but at least it would be warm inside the castle.

_CRACK_

All of a sudden, a lightning bolt hit the shore nearest to the boats. Students in the other boats screamed, and somebody in the boat ahead of theirs lost their head completely and stood up, sending the boat rocking. "Sit down!" Albus heard a panicked voice yell. "You'll get hit, and then kill us all!" But the person was too scared, and as Albus watched in horror, the boat tipped, and its passengers spilled out into the lake.

"Oh, no!" Rose screamed.

"We have to do something!" Albus leapt to his feet amid protests from the boat behind them at his actions, having just seen one boat go down as a result of someone standing in the storm. "Hagrid!" But as he watched, a long, green tentacle reached out of the water, grabbed one student, righted the boat, and deposited the frightened student back inside.

"It's the giant squid!" Olivia yelled. "My dad told me about it. It's friendly... mostly."

Albus watched, dumbfounded, as another long tentacle reached out, grabbed another student, and replaced him in the boat. It repeated the process again, and Albus felt a tugging at his robes. "Sit down! You'll do the same thing to us!" Olivia protested. Albus looked through rain streaked glasses at the blonde, and couldn't help but notice...

"Your face… you're not wet at all…"

Olivia turned red and sat back, but before Albus could press the issue…

_CRACK_

The lightning had struck the enormous squid just as it had picked up the final passenger of the capsized boat. They heard two cries of pain, one human, and one foreign, and the squid dropped the student it was holding and slid under the surface once more.

Albus leapt to his feet again. "HAGRID -Whoa!" he lost his balance as he stood, windmilled for a brief second, then fell backwards into the lake.

Albus didn't think it would be possible for the lake to be colder than the rain. He was wrong. He struggled to the surface, the cold like needles against his skin, his clothes weighing him down. He looked around, gasping for air - and saw the other person still in the water thrashing about as they slipped under. _Oh, no - they're sinking! _He considered his options. He knew how to swim. His mother had forced them to take lessons at the local Muggle pool when they were younger. The sudden realization that he might be the only one able to help the other person struck him like the lightning had struck the squid.

He took a deep breath and dove under again, looking around the murky water in panic. It was foolish, he thought. He couldn't see anything in this pitch blackness. His heart sank. Except… He pulled his wand from his back pocket. He had never cast a spell before, but he had heard this one used often. "Lumos!" He tried to say, but only a bubble came out. His wand remained dark. "LUMOS!" Another bubble, but this time, a bright light shot out of his wand, and he saw, about ten feet in front of him, a small body being dragged downward by an even smaller creature. He swam straight at them, hoping beyond hope that he could get there in time. As he neared the sinking pair, he aimed the beam of light from his wand at what he suspected was a grindylow. The small water demon hissed, but released its captured prey and fled to the safety of deeper water. He grabbed the other student, whom Albus hoped was only unconscious, and struggled his way to the surface.

"Al! Oh, thank Merlin, you're okay! You rescued him!" Rose's voice called from the boat, which was a healthy thirty feet away.

"Rose!" He yelled back, feeling his strength fading, trying to keep both himself and the other student afloat against the rough waves that had developed on the lake's surface. "Help! Hagrid! Somebody!"

A sudden wave caught him from underneath, propelling him towards the boat. He swam with it as best he could, but the wave did most of the work, and with a sickening squelching noise, he landed in the bottom of the boat, still clutching the other student. "Oh, no, are you okay?" Rose leaned over him. "What was that?"

Albus sat up, breathing hard. "Must've been the giant squid come back to finish helping out. Is he okay?" He motioned at the student, then started when he saw who it was.

Scorpius Malfoy stirred, and opened his eyes. Albus made eye contact with him, and the blond boy groaned, before losing consciousness again.

Albus looked around. "Where's Hagrid?"

"He's stuck at the front! The boat wouldn't let him turn it around," Ewan explained.

"We're almost there," Rose said. "We can get him help there."

As soon as they crunched up on shore, Albus noticed a plump woman rushing towards the boats. "Hagrid! I got your Patronus, who's hurt?"

"Than' goodness! We 'ad a boat flip, an' then the squid an' a student was hit by lightnin' as it was puttin' them back in the boat!"

"Over here!" Albus called, waving his arms above his head.

The woman ran over, shoved Albus out of the way, and began examining Malfoy. She pulled out her wand and began waving it over him, murmuring under her breath the whole time. She then pointed it at him. _"Ennervate." _Malfoy opened his eyes, gasping for the air readily available to him. He relaxed when he realized he was back on land. "You're alright now, son," the hospital matron said in a soothing voice. Albus released the breath he had been holding. He became again aware of the cold of the air and rain around him, and shivered. The nurse looked up at him. "Hagrid, there are several Warming Potions in the entrance hall; make sure all the students get one. I'll be up with this one in a moment."

Rose reached out and grabbed Albus' arm. "C'mon. He's fine." Albus wasn't so sure, but he followed Rose, Ewan and Olivia up the path. About halfway up, he paused. Rose turned around. "What is it?"

Albus stared at the towering castle before them. He smiled, still breathing hard, and looked at his cousin. "We're here. We made it."

Rose smiled. "We did! But we still have to get inside, come on!" And so they ran up the hill with the rest of their classmates. They slowed down at the doors to get a vial offered by Hagrid (many students were barreling past the Warming Potions in their excitement and confusion. Albus, however, was freezing, so he made sure to take a particularly full vial), and then continued into the entrance hall. They followed their classmates, who stopped in front of the door to the Great Hall on the right. Albus found himself next to a girl who was shaking from an obvious combination of cold and fear. Albus drank half of his potion, and felt a warming sensation spread outwards from his throat. In only a few seconds, everything, even his clothes, was warm and dry.

"Here," he said, handing it to the shaking girl. "It'll dry you off."

"What? What do you mean, it'll - "

"Trust me. See? I'm dry, and I fell in the bloody lake! Dry as a bone. Warm, too!"

The girl hesitated, but took the potion from Albus. She took a small sip. "Ooh!" She smiled as the effects of the potion kicked in. "I'm warm!"

"I told you!" Albus laughed. "Drink the rest."

The excited chatter around them died out as they saw a ladder float out in front of the doors. The ladder stopped, and a tiny, ancient wizard clambered to the top. He smiled out at the crowd of first years around him, most of whom were trembling from either the cold, the wet, the fear, or a combination thereof.

"Welcome!" the little man squeaked with just as much drama as James had several hours earlier. "To Hogwarts!"


	5. The Sorting

**Chapter 5**

**The Sorting

* * *

**

"My name is Professor Flitwick," the tiny, ancient man atop the ladder squeaked. "I am the Deputy Headmaster here at Hogwarts, and as such, I'm the one fortunate enough to give you all your first official welcome! So, again, welcome, and I hope you all have as marvelous a year as I plan on having!"

"Easy for him to say, he's a teacher, he doesn't have to take exams or write papers," Olivia muttered under her breath.

"Yes, but I still have to grade those exams and papers, so make sure they're up to scratch!" Flitwick's squeaky voice made them all jump.

"Er... sorry, Professor..." Olivia looked at the floor, her face bright red.

"Apology accepted, Miss..."

Olivia didn't look thrilled at having to give Flitwick her name. Albus could understand - they hadn't even been Sorted yet! What if he kept a grudge? "Ellis," she mumbled under her breath.

"Ah, Ellis! Olivia, is it? Well, no worries, I don't give too many written assignments. As long as you can make the castle sprout wings and fly around the lake and back, you'll be fine," Flitwick gave her a cheeky wink. Olivia responded with a nervous laugh.

"Now," he continued, "through these doors is the Great Hall. You will enter, go to the back, and proceed up the very middle of the room. There is an aisle ready for you. You will then continue up to the front, and line up in a single file line in front of the teachers table, facing the students. The Sorting will then commence, and you will be called forward one by one. Once you are Sorted, you will go and join your House table, and wait for the end of the ceremony. Now, is there anyone who isn't sure of what the Sorting ceremony consists of?" Several hands stretched upwards, including the small, shaking girl next to Albus. "Ah, don't worry about anything you might have heard. You don't have to wrestle trolls, you don't have to ride a dragon, you don't have to duel anyone - all you have to do, is simply try on a hat." The old man smiled, and Albus felt the girl next to him relax. "Alright, then! Let's go!" The doors behind him opened to reveal an enormous hall, filled to capacity with students and teachers.

"Whoa," he heard Olivia say next to him. "Look at the ceiling!" As they passed through the doors into the Great Hall, he looked up, and saw that the ceiling was a mass of stormy rain clouds, complete with falling raindrops that seemed to disappear about fifteen feet from the floor. As they watched, a burst of lightning flashed across the sky. A few his fellow first years screamed and Olivia threw her hands up as though to protect herself, but Albus watched, entranced. Of course, it helped that he knew it was enchanted, but it was still quite a sight to behold.

"First years, this way!" Albus returned his attention to the front of the room, where, in the middle of the head table, stood a portly, balding man with a tremendous smile on his face. "Right up here!" His voice was bubbling was excitement, and Albus thought he looked like he was looking forward to the Sorting more than the students were.

"That must be the new headmaster," he whispered to Rose as they headed towards the front of the hall.

"Duh?"

"Well, fine, I was just pointing him out! He seems pleasant enough." And indeed, the man had rushed around the end of the table, and was trying to get the first years to make a straight line in front of the teachers' table. Albus found a spot at the end of the line, in between Rose and the frightened girl from the hall, who was once again shaking (_hope she's not first, _Albus thought). He watched as the man struggled to get his classmates to form a straight line, but found that there were simply too many of them, and allowed them to make clusters.

"Wow! There certainly are a lot of you this year!" He exclaimed with a smile, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Ah, yes, Professor Flitwick, please, the Sorting Hat!" Albus watched as tiny Professor Flitwick waddled onstage, holding both a chair, and the most decrepit looking hat Albus had ever seen.

He put both down in the center of the stage that housed the staff table. The first years looked at the hat with varying amounts of trepidation and suspicion. Nobody said anything. Albus wondered what was supposed to happen next, until a small tear near the brim of the hat opened, and, to Albus' surprise (he hadn't heard about this part), the hat began to sing:

_I welcome you to Hogwarts_

_May it always be your home_

_For all who have passed through these halls_

_Shall never be alone_

_You may have heard, of a hat that sorts_

_Students into Houses four_

_Now we have met, but before we begin_

_You all, I must implore_

_Hogwarts is not Four, but One_

_One mighty school of thought_

_It is most important that you know_

_The battles it has fought_

_Students from all Houses four_

_Are bound by one shared goal:_

_To see themselves as great in life_

_As they are in their souls_

_Do you belong in Gryffindor_

_Where lie courage and sheer nerve?_

_Let it be known that Gryffindors_

_Inspire many with their verve_

_If your fate lies with Hufflepuff_

_You are a fortunate friend_

_For those who dwell in the House of Gold_

_Find loyalty to no end_

_Perhaps you belong in Ravenclaw_

_If creative wit you possess_

_Surely your brains and virtue_

_Will lead you to success_

_Or maybe swift old Slytherin_

_Is the fairest spot for you_

_If you know how to get what you need_

_Your cunning showeth through_

_But never forget! These Houses Four_

_Are part of the greater whole_

_And Hogwarts is the Home of all_

_For the young and for the old_

_If ever a day shall come to pass_

_Where I cannot perform this job_

_I beg of you, do not fall_

_Do not mourn and sob_

_I only tell, for all to hear_

_What lies deep within you_

_It matters not where you go_

_What matters, is what you do._

There were a few moments of ringing silence, and then the hall erupted in cheers. Albus clapped too, but a chill had run down his spine at the eerie similarities between the end of the hat's song and the end of his latest dream. He was growing more nervous by the minute.

Professor Flitwick pulled a small scroll from his pocket. "When I call your name, please come forward, sit down, and place the Sorting Hat on your head." Albus looked at the Gryffindor table and saw his cousins and brother. Molly smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. James made a face that looked like he was hissing, but then stuck his tongue out and smiled. He glared back as Flitwick began reading. "Akers, Daphne!"

The frightened girl to Albus's left made a sort of strangled squeaking noise, and took several small steps towards the chair. _Of course, it had to be her, _Albus thought. The girl picked up the hat, sat on the chair, and, shaking, lowered the hat onto her head. It sat there for a minute, and Albus could see the girl relaxing as the hall sat in silence, awaiting the hat's decision. Finally...

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat cried, and the second table from the left erupted in cheers. _Probably best, _thought Albus. She would find a welcoming home in Hufflepuff, if the hat's song was correct.

"Allen, George!"

A boy with straw colored hair stumbled out of the line and over to the chair. The hat was only on his head for a second before it made its decision...

"RAVENCLAW!"

And so it went. Ravenclaw also got the next two, and Slytherin also got one, before "Cairn, Clierah!" became the first Gryffindor. Albus noticed that Clierah Cairn was very tall, very Irish, and also very confident as she swaggered over to the Gryffindor table.

The next four went to Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin and Ravenclaw, respectively, before...

"Ellis, Olivia!"

Olivia strode up to the hat with her head held high - although Albus saw her crossing her fingers at her side, and smirked. She only had the hat on for a few seconds before -

"GRYFFINDOR!" Olivia got up, smiling, and tossed the hat down amid its muffled protests in her rush to get to the Gryffindor table, all pretense of coolness gone.

Albus saw Hagrid slip in a side door, and give him a wink. He wanted to ask if Scorpius Malfoy was alright, but he couldn't very well do so in the middle of the Sorting. He watched as Kilbrie Emerson became a Hufflepuff, Kelly Faust joined the Gryffindors, and then as Laramie Fox became very confused and forgot to take the hat off the chair before sitting down. He jumped up (not an easy feat, as he was a very large boy), bright red, as the hall erupted in laughter and the hat began loudly protesting its existence.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat shouted a moment later, and Albus saw the Slytherin table sniggering. He frowned. _I don't belong there. I really don't! At least... I hope I don't!_

"Greenwood, Ewan!" Ewan had a quiet confidence as he walked to the stool, no unnecessary swagger in his step or cross in his fingers. He too was only under the hat for a few seconds before the hat declared him a "GRYFFINDOR!" He stood up and neatly placed the hat in the middle of the stool.

Albus could've sworn he heard the hat say, as Ewan left, "Thank you, good sir! At least SOMEBODY knows how to treat an antique..."

He stood, next to Rose, while Flitwick and the hat went through enough students to fill up all of Hogwarts, he thought. Finally, a name that caught his attention was called.

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" The Slytherin table began whispering, and the pale boy approached from the end of the line. Albus was surprised; he hadn't noticed him there when he had looked a minute earlier.

The hat took at least a minute with Malfoy before shouting "SLYTHERIN!"

The Sorting continued. The count seemed pretty even between the four houses to Albus, although he was having trouble keeping track of how many went where. Finally, right after Isabel Parker joined the Slytherin table, he heard the words he had been both dreading and eagerly awaiting all night.

"Potter, Albus!" The hall burst out into hushed whispering. He gave Rose a half-excite, half-terrified look and headed for the chair.

As he pulled the hat over his head, the whispering disappeared, and all he could hear was the pounding of his own heart. "Hmmmm... Another Potter!" The hat spoke in a voice not unlike the one Albus had imagined in his dream, and his heart beat a little faster. "Ah, yes, you've been having dreams, I see."

_More like nightmares,_ Albus thought to himself.

"Really? Nightmares? Are you sure that's what they are?" Albus realized with a start that the hat could hear his thoughts.

_Er, well, they are pretty scary... I don't know if Slytherin is where I belong or not!_

"I see... Well, I'll tell you this much. Slytherin could use you." Albus' heart sank. "Oh, no, I didn't say that's where I'm sending you! Don't panic!... Yet..." Albus wasn't sure he liked the little voice in his head, but the voice had no problem talking to him. "Slytherin's not all bad. It used to be a very dangerous place to go. Those who go there seek power, and power corrupts. But no longer is it a haven for the elite and unmixed."

_It's not?_

"No, no. It took some additions who were not, shall we say, ideal Slytherin quality, but there is finally tolerance and understanding in Slytherin House. ...At least, _some_ tolerance and understanding... Now, where to put you... Let's make this simple. Where would you _like_ to go?"

_...What?_

"It'll be your choice. You could fit in well in some Houses, and make drastic changes in some others -"

_Put me in Gryffindor._

"Gryffindor, hmm? Slytherin could use someone like you."

_I don't want to be in Slytherin._

"Slytherin could help you on your way to greatness. It doesn't have to corrupt you."

_I don't want to be in Slytherin. Just put me in Gryffindor._

"You are afraid... Perhaps you're not brave enough for Gryffindor..."

_I AM BRAVE ENOUGH! PUT ME IN GRYFFINDOR!_

There was a moment's awkward silence, then the hat spoke again.

"Come to the Headmaster's office. We have more to discuss."

_What?_

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted this last word to the hall, and Albus, bewildered from his experience, lifted the hat, blinking in the sudden light of the candles. He stood, amid cheers from the Gryffindor table.

"Took you long enough, but you finally made it!" James shouted as Albus approached the table. "You were under there for nearly three minutes!"

Albus took the seat next to James and across from Ewan and Olivia. He was deep in thought about what the Hat had said. Why had it tried so hard to push Slytherin on him? It had said it Sorted students who "weren't ideal Slytherin quality" into Slytherin - did that mean it put students in the wrong House? _And why on Earth does it want to talk to me again? And how am I supposed to manage that?_

"Albus, look up! You have to see what it looks like from here!" Olivia was still bouncing with excitement. Albus shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He turned to the front in time to watch Angelica Rampstead become a Hufflepuff.

"Ripley, Amy!" Albus let out a small gasp of recognition as James elbowed him in the back.

_"It's that girl who beat you up in Quality Quidditch Supplies!" _James whispered.

"She did NOT beat me up!"

"Sure, she 'didn't.'"

"Albus, that girl beat you up?"

"No! See what you've done now, James?"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Well, at least you won't have to worry about her creeping up behind you in the common room and attacking you."

"Rumsbold, Elwood!"

"She didn't beat me up, Fred!"

"James says she did!"

"Well, she didn't!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Should we be warning Rumsbold, Elwood about this girl?" It was clear that James, Fred, and Hannah had been keeping a running commentary on the Sorting.

"Savage, Adhelina!"

"Ooh, look at the face on this one, I think she could hold her own against Ripley, Amy."

"That's not nice, Fred."

"Shut up, Lucy."

"Look at her, that's a Slytherin face if I've ever seen one..."

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"...Didn't see that one coming."

"Sheppard, Guy!"

"Guess she won't have to worry about getting beaten up by Ripley, Amy."

"Maybe Ripley, Amy only likes to beat up guys."

"She didn't beat me up!"

"Even if she didn't, she sure outwitted you."

"That's not the same!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"It's worse!" James said as they stood up to cheer for Guy Sheppard, whose smug look was breaking open to the excited smile underneath.

"Slair, Vexibella!"

Albus gasped. "It's the girl from the train! Her brother must be next!"

Olivia and Ewan snapped their attention back to the front, as the annoyed looking girl sat on the chair and put the Sorting Hat on her head. Maybe it was Albus's imagination, but he could've sworn the Hat had given a slight shudder when it had touched her head. "SLYTHERIN!" Its answer came quickly, and the girl walked off to the table on the right, still scowling.

"Slair, Vilhelm!" Her twin brother walked up to the hat, sat down, and Albus knew he saw the hat shudder this time when it made contact. The hat was on his head for less than a second before it screamed "SLYTHERIN!", sounding eager to get as far away as possible from the young boy.

"Well, they're probably pure evil. I've never seen the Hat act like that before." James' expectations for the twins' future was grim as he and Fred continued their commentary on the Sorting

"Smith, William!"

"Ooh, look, Rose is only a few away!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Hat's moving quickly now."

"Star, Paul!"

"At least that last one was a Hufflepuff, I figured three Slytherins like that in a row and he'd combust..

"Rose is almost next!"

"When's the feast start?"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Soon."

"Walsh, Osbert!"

"Walsh, Osbert is going to have some troubles with his name."

"Particularly people making fun of it."

"Oh, come on, guys, there's so many better names to pick on, you don't have to harass the kid."

"You're right, Lucy. We'll pick on the Malfoy kid. Scorpius? Perfect!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"That's not what I meant! Poor kid nearly drowned getting here, he doesn't need you lot picking on his name."

"So we'll find something else about him to pick on."

"Weasley, Rose!"

"Alright, now, everybody be quiet!" Lucy silenced the table. Rose slowly approached the chair and sat down. She gently placed the Hat over her head, and it slipped down past her eyes.

The discussion continued at a whisper. "How long do you think she'll be under there?" Fred asked.

"At least as long as Albus was. You think so, Al?"

Albus shrugged. He glanced over at the Slytherin table. They looked like an unpleasant bunch to him. He remembered an old Muggle adage warning about judging contents by covers - but he couldn't help but doubt the boy with a badly shaved head, undone tie, and bogies hanging out of his nose was anything other than dumb trouble.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Albus rose with the rest of the Gryffindor table, cheering as Rose hurried to take a seat next to Albus. Her face flushed bright red. "Did the Hat tell you about what it did?" She whispered to him even as her other cousins congratulated her.

"What do you mean? It said a lot of -"

"About the Houses this year..."

Albus gave her a baffled look. Rose looked more worried than she had the time she had lost her mother's largest Runes book.

Rose frowned. "I'll tell you later."

The Sorting continued. Finally, "Zimbre, Oliver" became a Ravenclaw, and the hall quieted down as the new headmaster stood to speak.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts!" He said with a tremendous smile. "Or, well, welcome _to_ Hogwarts for all our new students... and me! I won't take up much of your time now, but I will introduce myself. My name is Bernard Button, and I've been a member of the Office of Educational Standards at the Ministry of Magic for quite some time now." Albus thought he rather sounded like he was reading from a script. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to be Headmaster here - but not quite as much as most of you are looking forward to this delicious feast, so let's save the rest for later. Dig in!" The portly man sat, and mountains of food appeared on plates all around the Great Hall. Albus didn't know where to start, but seeing as how

Excited chatter amongst his fellow first year Gryffindors broke out as they ate. "I'm looking forward to the Quidditch games the most, personally," a brown haired boy with a pointed face named Torvald Nova was saying. "My dad's American, and he keeps trying to press Quadpot on me, but I don't see the appeal, personally."

"My father played a season for the Arrows," an athletic looking blond boy Albus had seen earlier whose name turned out to be Sebastian McKinley, replied, looking very proud. "Beater!"

Two of the silliest girls Albus had ever seen were sitting across from Sebastian and Torvald, and had begun giggling under their breath as Sebastian talked.

"What's Quidditch?" The girl on the right, a tall black girl named Quinn Olston, asked. _Must be Muggle-born,_ Albus thought.

"'What's Quidditch?'" Torvald's jaw dropped. "It's only the greatest sport ever invented! How could you never have heard of it?"

"I didn't even know about magic until two months ago!" Quinn protested.

"Oh."

Further down the table, Clierah Cairn was talking to a large black boy named Albert Johnson, who seemed to be entranced with the tall Irish girl. Albus couldn't hear what they were talking about, but he got the feeling that Albert Johnson wasn't processing much of it. Next to them, Guy Sheppard was attempting to engage a small, quiet girl named Ester Cayhill in conversation, but the girl was merely looking at him with an amused expression. Albus thought that Guy Sheppard looked rather pompous. All in all, Albus counted twelve new Gryffindors.

"My parents are both magic, but my dad's parents are Muggles," Quinn's giggly companion, Kelly Faust, was saying. "He said that they chased the person who came with the letter out of the house and called the Muggle police on them!"

"Al! I'm talking to you!" James' voice broke his concentration.

"Sorry, what?"

James stared at him. "I was trying to ask you something important, and you're just off in your own world!"

"I said I was sorry, what do you want?"

James smirked. "Can you pass the potatoes?"

Albus glared at his brother, and then grabbed a potato and threw it at him. James caught it with ease and shook his head at his little brother, still smirking. "Prat," Albus said.

"So, what classes do you all think are going to be the least painful?" Ewan asked.

Rose leapt into the conversation. "I personally can't wait to learn basic Charms - unlocking, locking, levitating, that kind of stuff. I think I'm going to enjoy Transfiguration the most, though. Once we can actually do something in it, I mean. It's going to be very hard at first."

"I want to learn how to duel," Olivia said. "I can't wait for our Defense Against the Dark Arts classes to cover that!"

"Why would you want to learn how to _duel_?" Kelly Faust asked, scowling at Olivia. "There's nobody to fight!"

Olivia gave the other girl a dirty look. "Just for fun!"

"What's fun about it? You get hurt, and some of the curses they use probably take a while to wear off, and ew." Kelly rolled her eyes and returned to her conversation with Quinn Olston.

Olivia rolled her eyes also. "What about you, Albus?"

Albus thought for a moment. "Well, I agree with both of you. I'm looking forward to Defense, and also to Charms. Not so wild about Transfiguration, though. I've heard that it's pretty hard."

"You have no idea," Fred said from across the table next to Ewan, munching on a chicken leg. "Especially with Moorehead. She's insane."

"How so?" Rose sounded apprehensive.

"She's hard! In our first class ever, she got mad and transfigured Gus Watts into a donkey because he couldn't turn a match into a needle!"

"Well, to be fair, he was trying to make the match explode, rather than transfigure it," Lucy spoke up from next to Fred.

"True. But he didn't stop making donkey noises for a month!"

"What about you, Ewan?" Albus asked the tall boy.

"I'm just looking forward to actually being able to use my wand instead of stare at it," he responded. "I've been waiting for ages to come here, and I can't wait to get started."

"That tune'll change after about a week," James' and Fred's friend Hannah spoke up from her spot next to James. "First week's the hardest of all."

"I thought the second week was harder, myself," James countered. "See, the first week, the teachers go easy on you, since school's just started. The second week, you have an idea what you're doing, so they unleash the dogs against you!"

"Hmm, good point..."

"Which one's Professor Moorehead?" Rose asked.

James pointed at the table. "Sitting next to Flitwick." Albus followed James' finger to a rather severe looking middle-aged witch with her black hair in a tight bun. "Head of Slytherin House. She's pretty fair, though."

Albus remembered something from dinner the night before. "Oh, and which one's the vampire?"

Hannah snorted with laughter. "Sitting next to Hagrid." Albus looked and saw a very pale, but otherwise pleasant looking man with slick black hair talking engaged in an animated with the half-giant.

"Wow. He does look like he might be a vampire. Seems too happy for one, though."

"He's not a vampire!" Lucy protested.

"How would you know?" Fred rolled his eyes.

Albus continued surveying the staff table. He spied his godfather, Neville Longbottom, talking to the new headmaster. Neville appeared to be explaining something, judging by the way the older man was staring and nodding. He looked further down, and saw a very young looking blonde haired witch wearing vibrant purple robes chatting with an elderly witch wearing a grim expression.

"Who are they?" He asked, pointing.

"Oh," said James. "The blonde's Caydarah. The old bat's Professor Vector. You won't have her for a couple years, she teaches Arithmancy."

Albus's attention was drawn away from the head table by the arrival of a half dozen ghosts, who drifted down through the ceiling without warning. There were a few small screams from the Muggle-born first years at the sight of the milky white figures, but Albus stared, curious. He had always been fascinated by ghosts. He was fascinated by the thought that someone could leave behind a permanent imprint; something that would always be there.

"Can I have your attention, please!" Button had stood up in the front, smile back on his face. The smile faltered as he realized most of the hall hadn't heard him. "Please, up here! I have a few announcements!" A few more students noticed the new headmaster was talking, but most were still engaged in their meals, oblivious to the plight of the Headmaster.

_BANG!_

There were several screams. Albus jumped slight, but quickly realized the source of the noise was the stately looking Professor Moorehead. "Thank you, Professor," Button said to her as the hall fell silent.

"Well, now that we have reached the end of our delicious feast, I have a few notes and reminders. The caretaker, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all to wipe your shoes before you enter the castle, and that if he catches you with anything even remotely resembling part of a prank, it will be confiscated immediately. Er - well, you know, not, quills, or anything like that, but anything else! Right, Mr. Filch?"

The ancient old caretaker gave him a dirty look.

"Er - right, carrying on. The Forbidden Forest is, well... forbidden... so don't go in there... Er..."

Attention was starting to drift away across the hall. Albus caught Olivia staring at a blank patch of stone wall with a vacant expression.

"Classes will begin on Monday: You have tomorrow and Sunday to get settled in, get acquainted with the grounds, that sort of thing. Except for the forest, don't get acquainted with the forest..."

"Er - Oh, yes! The _exciting _news of the night!"

Albus doubted anything he had to say was very exciting.

"Quidditch team try-outs will be scheduled sometime within the next two weeks! See your Head of House or Team Captain for information."

_Well, it was mildly exciting,_ Albus thought.

"And of course, the biggest news of all: This year, we are opening up Quidditch try-outs to all years! That's right! First years are now eligible to make their House team!"

The Hall was abuzz. Albus was stunned. "Did he really just say that?" he asked. "First years can try out?"

"Don't get too excited," Fred said. "The back-ups are usually better than the best first years could be. You have to be _good_ to make it young."

"Like you, right?" Lucy teased. Fred had been the Gryffindor Beater his second year.

"But - Dad made it his first year!" Albus protested to James.

"Yeah, but only because they had _nobody _else there - not that he didn't wind up being a fantastic Seeker, but we've got Clearview, and he's fantastic! You might have a chance at the back-up spot, though."

Albus narrowed his eyes at his brother. _I'm going to get that spot!

* * *

_

Ten minutes later, two acne-stricken fifth-year Prefects had led them into the Gryffindor common room with a casual "Hungarian Horntail" to the portrait of the Fat Lady protecting the entrance. "Okay, girls up the stairs to the left, all the way to the top, boys to the right, and all the way up," one of them said, and it was a mad rush to get to the top first. Albus burst through the door first, and immediately found his bed. Struana sat in her cage on a bed next to a window. To his left, Ewan found his spot, in between Albus' bed and the door. To his right, Albert Johnson, Torvald Nova, Sebastian McKinley, and Guy Sheppard connected the circle to the door again.

"Where are the bathrooms in here?" Torvald inquired of the room at large, already taking off his robes.

"We passed them on the way up, didn't you see?"

"No, I thought they were all dormitories. Thanks. Ewan, right?"

"Yeah."

"Torvald. I'd stay and chat, but nature calls."

"So," said Sebastian, looking at Albus and Albert Johnson, whose beds were next to each other. "How's this going to work here? We've got two Als right next to each other!" He spoke in a way that would not be out of place from a jovial grandfather, yet it suited him well.

"Well, I go by Albert, usually," the tall, dark boy said in a low voice.

"My family's the only ones who call me 'Al.' Most people just call me Albus."

"I can understand that," Sebastian responded. "Most people call me Sebastian, but I have one uncle who calls me 'Sea-Bass.'"

They sat on their beds for a moment, watching Guy Sheppard struggle to remove the hot pans from under his sheets. "Here," said Albus, going over. "They've got handles around the sides, you can grab 'em, an - "

"Yes, thank you very much, I know how to handle hot pans - OUCH!"

"Okay, fine," Albus said under his breath, walking back to his bed.

"So," Sebastian started again. "What do you guys think about the whole Quidditch thing? Going to try out?"

"I would if I had a broom here at school," Torvald said as he returned to the room. "Maybe I can get my mum to Owl mine from home."

"What would you play?" Albus asked, very interested.

"Chaser! Nothing else like it!"

Sebastian rolled his eyes. "Hot-shot Chaser, huh, out there doing sissy work while us Beaters are the unheralded heroes of the game!"

Albert Johnson chuckled. "'Unheralded heroes, hah! Keepers are only noticed when we screw up! The rest of the time it's 'oh, well, at least he's doing his job,' then it's 'HOW COULD HE HAVE MISSED THAT! TERRIBLE KEEPER, HE SHOULD BE SACKED RIGHT NOW!'"

Albus laughed. "I'm a Seeker."

The other three boys stared at him for a moment, then all exploded at once.

"Don't even get me started on SEEKERS - "

"Just fly around doing nothing, then catch one little ball and the game's over! Usually just when it starts getting fun, too!"

"And then THEY end up with all the FINAL attention, because they've scored a hundred and fifty points and usually won the game for us! It's like we don't even matter after they catch the Snitch!"

"Seekers!"

"Ugh!"

The other three closed their drapes, giving Albus a few more good natured ribs. Guy shifted and grinned awkwardly at Albus and Ewan.

"Okay, well, I'm going to bed, goodnight, all," Guy rolled over and closed his drapes.

Ewan shrugged. "Might as well."

"Yeah, me too."

Albus closed the curtains around his bed, and rolled over. As he drifted off, he remembered with a start: _I have to find out what the Hat told Rose..._


	6. Friends & Enemies

**Chapter 6**

**Friends & Enemies

* * *

**

Albus woke up the next morning after a dream-free night. He drew back his drapes and looked around. "Welcome to the world of the living!" Guy Sheppard looked up from the book he was reading on his bed, and gave Albus a chastising look.

Albus had noticed an irritating quality to Guy's voice the previous night that seemed to be even more present in the light of day. "What time is it?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Eh, only 10:30, but everyone else woke up ages ago! You'd better hope they still have breakfast left down there for you."

Albus dressed as fast as he could and rushed down the spiral staircase, stopping in his tracks at the bottom of the stairs. The common room was abuzz with far more activity than there had been last night. Several older students were sitting in comfortable chairs around the fire, talking, and, in one couple's case, doing things that limited their ability to talk. A group of 4th years was huddled around a model Quidditch game in the corner, occasionally erupting in cheers or groans. He saw James, Fred, and Hannah huddled around a table in another corner, talking in low voices. He ignored all these people and made a bee-line for the portrait hole, but before he got there, it opened, and Ewan, Olivia, and Rose entered, the latter of which offered Albus a bagel as they met.

"Decided to sleep in, didja?" Olivia asked with a bright smile.

Albus shook his head, still groggy. "You should've woke me up!" he said, looking at Ewan.

The taller boy shrugged. "I tried, but you said you were going to curse me if I didn't leave you alone. Judging by the stories Rose told us at breakfast, I'm glad I didn't try harder."

Albus gave a small laugh, despite the embarrassment of the story of him blasting his younger sibling through a doorway now being common knowledge. "Thanks for the bagel, Rose," he said, taking a bite. He was pleased to find that it was still warm.

Rose beamed at him, then rubbed her hands together. "So, what should we do today? We've got two whole days before classes, and there's so much we can do!"

"Er..." Ewan frowned, and then pointed out the nearest window. "I don't know if you noticed, but it's still pouring out there."

"Well, yes, but we can still walk around the castle. Ooh, we can find our classrooms, that'll make things easier for us come Monday!"

Albus could tell from the looks on Ewan's and Olivia's faces that preparing for classes was, no matter in what way, shape, or form, probably the last thing they wanted to do. Ewan spoke up. "Er... we could also... uh..."

Rose looked crestfallen, and Albus intervened. "We might as well, there's nothing else to do, since the common room's packed. Hey, maybe we'll find some secret passageways, or something, my mum and dad told us lots of stories about some of them."

Olivia's eyes lit up. "Really? Secret passageways? Well, what are we waiting for?" She ducked back out the portrait hole with Rose close on her heels.

Ewan looked at Albus. "Nice save."

"Shh. Let's go."

As they exited, the Fat Lady called out behind them. "You're not thinking about going outside in this weather, are you?"

"What, this weather? It's beautiful out!" Olivia turned back, laughing, as the Fat Lady shook her head.

"You would think it's great, you managed to get out of that monsoon yesterday nearly completely dry, I don't know how you did it," Albus said to her.

Olivia blushed. "Well, I suppose it was a dirty trick not to tell you, but I didn't know if I could do it on somebody else - my mum taught me a water-repelling charm before I left. A few others, too, but that's about the most difficult thing I can do, though."

Albus was confused. "But - doesn't the Ministry pick up on the magic being used?"

Olivia shook her head. "Nope. The Trace doesn't work like that, my mom told me. They know somebody's using magic around me, but they don't know who."

Albus considered this for a second. "So... I could've been using my wand since I got it, and nobody would have known?"

"Pretty much. Hey, Rose, where are we going?" Olivia asked.

The other girl turned around. "Well, I thought we'd figure out the basic layout of the castle first, you know, start at top and work our way down, and then - "

"Let's go this way," Ewan interrupted, heading down the stairway to the floor below. The others followed, Rose sputtered, but followed. "Where'd you say those secret passageways were, Albus?"

"Well, they never told me _exactly _where - WHOA!" The stairway had suddenly begun to move below them. "They didn't tell me the stairs did _this!_" The stairs stopped against another landing with a grinding noise. They took small steps off the staircase, in case it started moving again. The new landing opened up down a long, well lit corridor.

"Well, then, I guess the castle wants us to go this way," Ewan said, shaking his head and setting off down the hall. Albus wasn't sure that was how it worked, but he set off after his new friend anyway.

"Where are we?" Olivia asked, as they passed several locked doors.

"Somewhere on the sixth floor... hey, this door's open!" Albus opened the door to reveal a classroom, with an enormous library of books at the rear, and several odd drawings already on the blackboard. "This must be the Ancient Runes classroom... Hey, I think there might be something around here! I definitely remember my mum and dad talking about a false wall, or something, near the Ancient Runes classroom."

"Really?" Ewan began feeling the walls nearby. "Where d'you think it is?"

"I have no idea, that's just what I heard. I know they both mentioned it a couple times."

"Well, it's gotta be around - aha!" Ewan had stuck his hand through what had appeared to be solid stone. "Weird!" He moved his arm back and forth through the wall a few times. "Well, we found something. What now?" The other three stared back at him. "What? What are you all looking at me for?"

"You found it, you go in first!" Olivia said.

Ewan raised an eyebrow. "You were all gung-ho about secret passageways a minute ago, why don't you go first?"

"You should have the honors since you found it."

"No, really, I insist."

"No, _I_ -"

"Would somebody just stick their head in and see what's on the other side?" Albus exclaimed. "There's probably somebody somewhere else in the castle wondering why there was an arm sticking out of the wall a minute ago."

Ewan considered the situation. "Fine. Here goes..." and, with the care of one handling a dangerous potion, placed his head against, and then through the wall. The sight of someone's head disappearing against the wall was rather bizarre, Albus thought.

"What's back there?" He asked.

Ewan withdrew his head from the wall. "I don't know, it's pitch black. We need a lamp, or something."

Rose looked willing to go get a lamp and come back later, but Albus, like Olivia, was growing impatient. "We don't need one. I think I can do a Lumos spell, I did it in the lake yesterday to find Malfoy." He pulled out his wand as the other three first years looked on. Albus could tell that they were curious to see if he could actually do it. He held the wand in front of him. "Lumos!" Nothing happened.

Olivia giggled a little, but caught herself. "You sure you did it yesterday?" She asked Albus, smirking. Albus gave her a dirty look. He didn't like being teased about his abilities.

"I'm sure."

"Then prove it!"

Albus glared at her, then pointed his wand directly at her. "Lumos!" The tip lit up, and Olivia jumped a little. "What, did the mean old light scare you?" He asked with an evil grin.

Olivia regained her composure. "No, I was just worried you might accidentally light me on fire, or something. You know, a _beginner _mistake," she said, emphasizing the word, knowing she would aggravate Albus. She returned the evil grin.

Rose intervened before tempers escalated. "Well, good, now you can look in, and see if it's safe - "

Albus flashed one last glare at Olivia (though his heart wasn't really in it), and turned around and walked through the wall without hesitating. Once inside, he heard Rose from behind him. "Oh, fine, or you could just do that."

He examined his surroundings. "This isn't much of a secret passageway! It doesn't go anywhere, and it's no bigger than a closet!" _And dusty,_ he thought. "It's got a small couch, though, that's weird... Ewan! You scared me!" Ewan had followed him through the wall.

"Can you see us from in there?" He heard Rose call. He turned to look at the wall through which he had just come, and found that it looked just the same from the inside as it did from the outside: A blank stone wall.

"No, I can't. I don't even get why this room is here... There's a couch, some candles... and that's it." There was an odd choking noise from outside. He gave Ewan a confused look and they both passed back through the wall, worried that something had happened - only to find both girls bright red, and overcome with a fit of the giggles.

Albus lowered his wand, which had gone out. "What's the matter with you?" He asked, indignant.

Olivia managed to stop giggling long enough to explain. "Well, you see," she choked again. "Think about just _why_ your parents, _both_ of your parents, might know about a secret wall that led to a room with nothing but a couch and some candles. And why they might mention it more than once, although I doubt they meant for you to hear it..."

Albus stared at her for a second before it clicked. "Oh. OH! Ew! You mean - that place is used... _just for snogging?_" Olivia and Rose dissolved into giggles again. "That's gross! I don't want to see where my parents snogged! Let's go somewhere else..."

And so their afternoon continued. They managed to get lost three more times before finding their way to the Great Hall for lunch. After eating, they continued their expedition, finding the Transfiguration, Chams, and Defense Against the Dark Arts classrooms, as well as a genuine passageway behind a fake wall on the fourth floor that somehow led to the ground floor, despite there not being any stairs in it, and wouldn't let them go back through when they tried. The only problem they ran into all day was trying to find their way back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I'm telling you, these are the stairs we have to go up!"

"Rose, we just came down those stairs!" Albus argued back.

"No, we just came down _those_ stairs," she said, pointing to a flight of stairs on the other side of the third floor corridor they were occupying, arguing. Olivia leaned her head back and rolled her eyes.

"Well, since they both go up, why don't we just pick one and go, already!"

"Because this castle is a maze, we'll go up those stairs and end up on the ground floor, or something ridiculous like that!"

"Well, we won't know unless we try." And with that, Olivia turned and strode up the flight of stairs Albus had been arguing against taking. "See?" She said once she had reached the top. "I'm higher up! Closer to where we're trying to get! That was a good thing, last I checked."

Albus scowled as Rose gave him a smug look. "Alright, let's see where that corridor goes." They all climbed the stairs, and as they rounded the nearest corner, Albus walked head-on into his brother.

"Oi! Watch where you're going, runt!" James objected at the top of his voice. He was flanked by Fred and Hannah.

"How about _you _watch where you're going," Albus replied with a dirty look. "What on earth is that thing?" He asked, pointing at a large scrap of parchment James was holding, which appeared to be older than all of them combined.

"None of your business, that's what," he replied smoothly, tucking the parchment inside his robes. Albus couldn't help noticing that Hannah had gone bright pink.

"Yeah, 'nothing,' I'm sure."

"Scram, little brother."

"Wait!" Rose said, as the older students started to walk off. "How do we get back to Gryffindor Tower?"

"Go through that wall right there," James said, pointing. "It'll spit you out right in front of the Fat Lady."

"Are you sure? We ran into one of those earlier, except it led to the ground floor and then sealed itself," Ewan said.

"Yeah, there's lots of those around here," Fred said as they walked off.

"Great," said Rose. "Let's go, I'm tired of walking." The four of them hurried through the seemingly solid wall - and found themselves on the ground floor again.

"JAMES!" Albus shouted to nobody in particular as he realized his brother had tricked them into going through the very passageway they had found earlier. Somewhere far above him, he heard laughter.

* * *

After dinner, Albus found Rose in a corner of the common room, curled up in an enormous armchair, reading an healthy-sized tome with the title "An Introduction to Magic: How to do Everything." He sat down in a chair across from her.

"Rose."

"Hmm?" She didn't look up from her reading

"What did the Hat say to you?"

Rose managed to tear her gaze from the book, and looked at Albus. "It said that it put some people in the wrong Houses."

Albus scrunched up his face in confusion. "What? It told me that it had put some people in Slytherin that shouldn't have been there, but that was a while back -why would it do that now?"

"I don't know, but Al, shouldn't we tell somebody? I mean, this could ruin somebody's schooling,"

"But... it must've had a good reason"

"Don't kid yourself, Al, that Hat's not right. The spell's wearing off, or something."

Albus bit his lip. He was worried that if the teachers found out that the Hat had put students in the wrong Houses, they might make everyone do the Sorting over - and he didn't think he could go through that stress again, least of all if it put him in a different House. "I still think it must've had a good reason. Tell you what - we'll wait and see, and if anything bad happens that looks like it's because someone's where there not supposed to be, we'll go tell Neville."

Rose gave Albus a troubled look. "...Okay. But if something happens..."

"Nothing bad's gonna happen right away, we'll be on the lookout. I promise, if we see something off, we'll tell Neville!"

Rose still looked worried.

* * *

The rain had cleared up by the next day, so Albus, Rose, Olivia and Ewan took to the grounds. They located the Herbology greenhouses, and stopped in to say hello to Neville Longbottom, who was preparing for his Monday classes. They didn't stay long, though, after Rose had a rather unpleasant encounter with the Venomous Tentacula. They walked the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest, and stayed far away from the great Whomping Willow that stood taller (and angrier) than ever. They laughed, joked, teased each other, and went places they weren't supposed to, until they rounded a corner and saw the Hogwarts Cemetery. The happy attitude quickly dissolved into a much quieter, somber one.

The cemetery had been created after the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. The victims of the battle had been buried on the grounds, and there was no better spot for a cemetery than around the White Tomb of Albus Dumbledore. Tall evergreens had been planted to seclude the spot, and an eerie mist always hung over the gravesites.

"Whoa..." Olivia said. "I take it... That's the cemetery?"

Albus nodded.

Nobody moved for a moment.

Olivia shifted, confused. "So... are we going to check it out?"

Albus shared a look with Rose. "It's pretty creepy in there..." Rose said. They had been in the cemetery several times over the years, but Albus never liked the feeling. His heart would start racing, and he always had the disturbing feeling of being watched.

However, he was determined not to let that get to him this time. "Let's go in." He tried to sound confident as he said it, but he knew the slight tremor to his voice gave him away.

As he entered the foggy trees, he felt his pulse quicken and the familiar sensation came over him again. He shook his head, however, and pressed on. The first thing he saw was the great white tomb of Albus Dumbledore. As his vision adjusted, he was able to make out about fifty additional graves surrounding Dumbledore's. Olivia crouched over one of them, examining the inscription. He and the others passed through the lines of graves without speaking, stopping occasionally at a name they recognized. It was sad for Albus to see names such as _Remus Lupin_ and _Nymphadora "Tonks" Lupin_ and realizing that Teddy would have grown up with parents if not for the battle that had happened here. He found the tombstone he was looking for to the left of Dumbledore's tomb:

_Severus Snape_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts_

_January 13th, 1960 - May 2nd, 1998_

_Devotion Beyond Death_

The only thing Albus found stranger than the inscription on the tombstone was the pair of eyes carved into the top of the stone, complete with emeralds inset. _Well,_ he thought. _Maybe it's not that strange; he was a Slytherin._

Albus looked around. Ewan was examining Colin Creevey's tombstone. Rose was crouched in front of their Uncle Fred's. Olivia was up again, walking among the graves. Albus approached the White Tomb and looked upon the semblance of Albus Dumbledore, laying calm and peaceful in death. Albus thought the carved face on the stone looked rather mischievous, with a small smile playing about the corners of the mouth, and the eyes cracked open the tiniest bit, as though the man was only playing dead, about to leap up.

A sudden rustling noise behind him broke him from his thoughts, and he whirled around to see the dark haired Slair twins standing in the opening of the trees that led to the cemetery, flanked by the other boy and girl they had seen in the compartment with them on the train. Albus realized the four newcomers were staring at him, gave a nervous half-smile.

"Oh. Hello."

The four students stared back at him, not saying anything, although the other girl, who had flaming red hair brighter than Rose's, curled her lip in a sinister smile. Rose, Olivia, and Ewan were now standing, watching the other students with apprehension.

Albus decided to bite the bullet and try to be friendly. "I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day. I'm Albus." He walked up to the group and extended his hand. "It's Vilhelm, right? And... Vexi... Vexibel? I'm sorry, I don't remember your names..."

"Vexibella," the girl said. "This is Isabel, and Mordecai." Vilhelm extended his hand, unsmiling, and gave Albus a quick shake. The rest of the group just watched. Mordecai was quite tall, and had a very imposing figure.

"Nice to meet you," Albus said, trying not to let his nerves show as he forced a smile at the four Slytherins.

The other students stared at him for a moment, then Vilhelm spoke. "Leave."

Albus was taken aback by the curt manner of the other boy. "Um. What?"

The boy named Mordecai spoke up for the first time, in a thick Scottish accent. "Did ye not hear him? He said to leave!"

"Excuse me?" Rose appeared at Albus's shoulder. "Why? There's plenty of room in here for all of us!"

"It would be better if you left," Vexibella said. She alone of the group kept her temper in check.

Albus and Rose exchanged confused looks. Albus gave up on trying to be polite. "What's your problem?" He directed his question at Vilhelm, who appeared to be the rudest of the bunch.

The other boy just glared back. "I said, leave, or we'll make you leave."

Albus felt Rose tense up beside him, and he saw Olivia surreptitiously draw her wand. He laughed. "You'll make us leave? What, are you going to send sparks at us? We haven't learned anything yet!"

Vilhelm drew his upper lip back and whipped his wand out. Albus's eyes widened at the speed the other boy possessed. In an instant, all eight students had their wands out. Albus made eye contact with Vilhelm and felt a chill at the anger he saw. They stood there for a moment, wands pointed at each other. Albus didn't know what he would do if it turned out Vilhelm or one of the others actually knew some spells. _Probably should just tackle him,_ he thought. Fortunately, the moment was broken.

"OI!" All eight students jumped at the booming voice of Hagrid, who was about thirty feet from the entrance, and closing fast. "An' what exactly d'yeh all think yer doin'? What're yeh gonna do with those things? Poke each other ter death?" He reached the group, and surveyed the Slairs and their companions, then turned his attention to Albus and Rose. "Come with me, you lot, I wan' a word." Albus gave Vilhelm Slair one last glare, then stowed his wand and hurried after Hagrid, who was taking long strides towards his cabin. Rose, Ewan, and Olivia followed, all of them having to run to catch up with the long paces of the half-giant. They followed him in to his cabin.

"Er... Hagrid..."

"Have a seat," he said, gesturing at the enormous table and chairs in the corner of the hut.

Albus's heart was still racing as he took a seat with the rest, wondering if they were in for a punishment already. Hagrid was digging in a trunk in the corner, muttering to himself. "Where is th' bloody thing, I swear, I jus' had it - ah, here we go." He turned around, and seeing the looks on the face of the four children in front of him, rolled his eyes. "Yer not in trouble, relax - I do want ter talk to yeh, though."

Albus relaxed as Hagrid took the last seat at the table, holding an old newspaper clipping. "We're sorry, Hagrid, but they started it!"

"Yeh'd be best not gettin' in ter any scraps with that lot." Hagrid smoothed out the newspaper on the table. "Look at this."

The four students leaned forward, to see a picture of a very grim faced witch and wizard, with the headline "Romanian Couple Responsible for Deaths of Countless Killed in Altercation with Aurors." Albus's mouth opened in surprise at the familiarity of the faces in the picture.

"Is that..."

"Yeh, that's their parents," Hagrid said, folding up the paper. Rose let out a small gasp.

"...Their _parents?_" Olivia asked, a look of shock on her face. "What did they _do_?"

"Went on a killin' an' torturin' spree in Eastern Europe. Muggles an' wizards alike. Didn't matter who; they went after purebloods too, not jus' Muggle-borns."

"But why?" Rose asked, looking very shaken.

"No one knows," Hagrid responded grimly. "They never declared any intentions, or nothin'. Just went off and started killin' people one day. They did in about fifty folks before the Romanian and Transylvanian Aurors caught up with 'em. They went down fightin', and their kids, those two you lot were messin' with back there, they were sent off ter live with some kinfolk over here. Distant cousins, or somethin'."

"We weren't messing with them, they were messing with us!" Rose protested.

Hagrid waved her off. "Jus' be wary. I've always said, crazy runs in the blood, so don't go lookin' ter make enemies."

"We're not trying to make enemies!"

Hagrid gave Albus a long, hard look. "Albus, your father never tried ter make any enemies, either. But he ended up with enough of 'em without trying. So, just keep alert around them, is all I'm saying."

Albus blushed at the comparison to his father.

"Yer grandfather, on the other hand, he was always out looking for trouble." Hagrid laughed.

Albus looked up. "You knew my grandfather, too?"

"Oi, yeah, I knew both of 'em. I knew James and Lily, and I obviously still know Molly and Arthur." He motioned at Olivia. "I also knew your dad, though I haven't seen him since yeh were about three. I think he and yer ma were having some, er... behavioral issues with yeh." He tipped Olivia an enormous wink, and everyone, save Olivia, burst out laughing.

"Seems like she's still got those behavioral issues," Ewan said, still laughing.

"Nah, I'm sure she's got the ones I'm thinking of under control." Hagrid smiled at Olivia, who was looking very cross and embarrassed.

"Yeah, no problems there. I haven't lit anyone on fire in ages."

This caught Albus's attention as everyone began laughing again. "You did accidental magic like that when you were little?" He asked Olivia, intrigued.

"Er - yeah. Sorta."

"Me too! I mean, I've never set anyone on fire, but I did fly down the stairs once, and I accidentally blew up my Uncle George's work bench. And I lit the Christmas tree on fire. And, I also, kinda... you know. Blew the wall in my room to pieces when I got mad, once."

"Yeah, and just the other day, he blasted his little sister out the door and down the stairs!"

"Yeh did that to poor little Lily? Shame, Al!"

"She started it, Hagrid! She was beating me with a pillow! While I was sleeping!"

"Well, I reckon she must've wanted yeh to get up!"

"She didn't have to do it so rudely..."

They chatted for most of the rest of the afternoon, with Hagrid telling them some of the many adventures and misadventures of their parents and grandparents in their school days (always with hasty warnings against pursuing similar endeavors), and by the time they left Hagrid's cabin, they were in a much better mood than they had arrived in.

As they entered the Great Hall for dinner, they saw the Slairs, Crank, and Parker sitting across the hall at the Slytherin table, giving them ugly looks as they ate. Albus noticed the presence of Scorpius Malfoy to Vexibella's right. _Great,_ he thought. _More going over to the dark side, and this one's got a history with our family already.

* * *

_

The evening found Albus sitting in a chair in the common room, writing a letter home.

_Dear Mum and Dad_

_The first few days here have been good, for the most part. I'm in Gryffindor, so is Rose, I don't know if you've heard already. The Sorting Hat has indeed gone totally bonkers. It wants me to come talk to it again at some point, but I don't know how I'm supposed to do that._

_Oh, and Quidditch teams are open to the first years again! Half the boys in my dorm want to try out, so I'll have some stiff competition, even in my own year. Fortunately, I'm the only Seeker of the bunch in my year. Of course, the current Seeker's a 7th year who's also team Captain, so I'd only get a spot on the reserves, even if I did make the team. I suppose it's better than nothing, though. Can you send my Nimbus up? I hear the school brooms aren't very good._

_Also, do you know anything about a family by the name of "Slair?" There's two of them in our class (Slytherins), and Hagrid showed us a newspaper clipping about their parents going spare and killing a bunch of people in Romania or Bulgaria or somewhere._

_I miss you all terribly at home. I'm disappointed I wasn't put in Slytherin, and I've wet the bed five times since being here. Everybody hates me because I'm a big dipweed, and I have no friends. PLEASE GET ME OUT OF HERE!_

_Wubs and Kisses Mummy and Daddy_

_Your Allie-bear_

_That was James being a prat while I was in the loo. Any good hexes for me to learn to use on him would be appreciated._

_That's everything that's going on here. Hope all is well at home - How's Lily? Tell her I miss her and that I'll see her again as soon as possible! I hope I do well at Quidditch - although I suppose I'll be okay as long as I don't try to swallow the Snitch, right, Dad? (Hagrid told us some stories!) Hehehe..._

_Love_

_Al_

Albus reviewed his letter, smiled, then put it in the envelope and sealed it. He looked around for Struana, then realized she was probably in the Owlery. He groaned. _I don't want to have to walk all the way to the Owlery by myself at night!_

"Hey, Rose, want to come with with me to the Owlery so I can send this letter? You can see Jupiter while we're there."

"What's the matter, you scared to go there by yourself at night?"

"...Maybe."

She laughed. "Okay, let's go. Checkmate."

"That's the fourth time in a row!" Ewan protested. "How do you do it?"

"I'm just that good." Rose tipped her head back and looked down her nose at Ewan, smirking. Albus resisted a smile. His cousin was very modest about everything - except chess.

They made their way to the Owlery with ease, due to their lengthy exploration of the school the previous day.

"Hello, Struana!" The little black owl hopped down onto Albus's shoulder, chirping. "I have my first job for you. This letter needs to get back to home, you know how to get there?"

The owl tilted her head and gave a soft hoot, as if saying "Of course I know how to get there, do I look stupid?"

Albus chuckled. "Of course you do. Here." Struana took the letter in her beat, and took off through one of the windows at the top of the aviary. He turned to Rose, who was petting Jupiter (who looked very pleased at the attention). "Alright, letter's sent, we can go."

As they were walking down a corridor that lead to the stairs, Albus got an odd tingling sensation on the back of his neck, as though someone was watching him. "Wait," he said, coming to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, stopping next to him.

Albus looked around. "Who's there?" He called.

"Al? What's wrong? Rose pulled her arms tight across her chest.

"Bah. It's probably just those goons from earlier trying to scare us. Let's go." He tried to sound confident in case it really was the Slair twins or their cronies.

As they hurried down the passageway, Albus thought he heard a whispered incantation, and then -

"AAAH!"

_CRASH_

"GET DOWN!"

But by the time they were hidden on the floor, all was still, and Albus had time to process what had just happened. Two jets of red light had shot between them, hit a portrait, who had screamed and fallen off her mount to the floor. Albus looked around. "It had to have been them! They waited until Hagrid wasn't around, and then attacked us from behind! Dirty, rotten..."

"Al, let's just get out of here!"

"What? Yeah, let's go. Quickly, in case they come back."

They ran the remaining distance to Gryffindor Tower, where they shared what had just happened with Olivia and Ewan.

"It had to have been them!" Olivia exclaimed.

"But I doubt they could have managed that magic, that's the problem!" Rose protested.

"They went off to live with some random kin, they probably taught them all sorts of deadly curses and whatnot."

"But we don't even know for sure that it _was_ them, I mean, did you see their faces? Or hear their voices?" Ewan asked.

"Well, no, but..."

"If it wasn't them, then that means there's somebody else out there that Albus and Rose have ticked off after only a few days," Olivia retorted.

Albus stared at her. "Well... if it wasn't the Slairs... then who could be mad enough at us already to attack us?"


	7. Politics

**Chapter 7**

**Politics

* * *

**

_"Level 2 - Department of Magical Law Enforcement."_

The doors opened, and Harry Potter exited the crowded lift. He wound his way through the mess of cubicles to his own, in the far back. Ron was already there, at his own desk in the large area they shared with two other Aurors. As Head of the Auror Office, Harry was entitled to his own private office, complete with door and privacy. However, he felt that being out in the main room with the rest of his Aurors not only gave them a better sense of camaraderie, but eased the flow of information. It was much easier for someone to simply shout to him across the room than to have to get up, go to his office door, and talk to him from there. So, his office sat unused, and he turned four cubicles into a sort of "command center," which he shared not only with Ron, but also his second-in-command, Arcturas Harmon, and another witch who was out on maternity leave.

"Hey, Harry."

"Morning, Ron. We get that report on those enchanted Muggle weapons?"

"Nothing yet. Arcturas is out picking that up, along with the first Hogwarts report of the year."

Ever since the war ended, the Ministry of Magic had been keeping tabs on the goings-on at Hogwarts. They had a strict no-interaction policy, but they received regular reports on things such as what students were in what Houses, a report of injuries, and discipline records. As instances of Dark Magic were few and far between these days, the Auror office had been placed in charge of determining what information was worth making note of. Most of the reports went straight in the trash after reading, but they occasionally found something of interest. The first report of the year was usually the only interesting one, as they cross-referenced relatives of known Dark wizards with the incoming student list. In theory, it was supposed to help determine which student were at risk for corruption by the Dark Arts. In actuality, it just helped calm the mass fear and anger that had swept the nation when parents learned what their children had been through at Hogwarts during Voldemort's brief reign, at the hands of teachers and students alike. These days, it was rare for a student with any direct familial connection to Death Eaters to be found at Hogwarts; however, Harry knew of at least one that would be starting this year.

As Harry was opposed to the idea of branding eleven year old kids as potential Dark wizards, all the notes went straight into a locked drawer on his desk, not to be seen by anyone outside of the department. Whenever they got a discipline report involving dark magic at Hogwarts (which only happened every few years), Harry would dutifully check the names on the list to see if they matched up. They never did, and so the Ministry continued the pointless charade, and the public felt safer.

"We got a letter from Al this morning," Harry told Ron. "He said he and Rose are both in Gryffindor, and they're enjoying themselves. And guess what? They're opening up Quidditch spots to first years!" Harry laughed. "He's so excited. Have you heard from Rose?"

Ron raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Yeah, we got a letter late last night. Al didn't tell you about what happened on the boat ride across the lake?"

Harry was puzzled. "No, what happened?"

"Wow, I thought he would've told you. It was storming, and Al fell into the lake. The boat in front of them capsized, and Malfoy's kid almost drowned, but apparently Albus saved him. From Rose's letter, it was pretty wild."

Harry was dumbfounded. "Why didn't he tell us? All he did was talk about Quidditch, the Sorting Hat, and a couple of Slytherins he thought were trouble."

"Wait, the Sorting Hat? What Slytherins?"

"Apparently, the charm on the Sorting Hat is starting to unravel. It told Al to come and talk to it again." He raised an eyebrow at Ron.

"Well, I can't blame it. It's a hat, after all, it can't be that exciting of a life. And I hear it's not the only one at Hogwarts whose 'spell is unraveling.' Apparently, Filch is pretty much certifiable, and Madam Hooch is starting to lose it, a little."

"Madam Hooch? Really? She's not even that old, she's only, what, eighty? Eighty-five?"

"Neville said something about a history of it in her family. Now, what's this about Slytherins? Not Malfoy's kid, I take it?"

"No." Harry frowned. "Do you remember hearing about that couple in Romania who killed all those people a few years back? Took about a dozen Aurors to bring them down?"

"Yeah, what was their name - Slayer? Thought it was an interesting name, given the circumstances..."

"Close. Slair. Well, apparently they've got a pair of twins going there. He didn't say much about them, but he said Hagrid showed them an old article about their parents."

"Why would Hagrid do that? Something must've happened to prompt him, he knows better than that."

"That's what I figured. I was going to send Hagrid an owl and ask what happened."

Albus leaned back in his chair. From what he remembered, the Slairs had walked into a Muggle Office building and started firing Killing Curses without so much as a warning. They escaped before the Aurors could get there, and led them on a chase for the next few months. They would turn up every now and again, kill a few wizards or Muggles, and then disappear. The Romanian and Transylvania Aurors eventually cornered them and put up anti-Disapparition wards. The two Slairs hadn't gone down without a fight, however, and took out a few Aurors before they were finally killed themselves.

Harry stood up. "I'm going to go pull their file."

"Who?"

"The Slairs. Just to refresh my memory."

He walked over to the rows of filing cabinets stacked all the way up to the ceiling, and reached for a clipboard attached to the side of one of the cabinets. The search system was his own brainchild, and he was quite proud of it (although, he admitted, it was very similar to Muggle computer search systems). Fed up with looking through endless cabinets looking for various reports, he had suggested they make it so the cabinets did the searching, themselves. It had taken a long time to get all the various files in the entire office registered, but now, the time needed to find an old record was shortened to almost nothing - as long as the files were where they were supposed to be.

He dipped a quill in a nearby ink well, and wrote on the parchment attached to the clipboard, "Slair." He watched as a long list of reports appeared, the first one being "Slair Killings, 2006-2007." He put a small checkmark next to the name, and watched as a cabinet halfway down the middle aisle opened, and a purple file folder floated out. He smiled to himself, put the clipboard back, and went to collect the file.

Back at his desk, he flipped through the thick folder, full of grisly photographs and graphic descriptions of the events that had unfolded. Words and phrases such as "unyielding," "slaughter," and "showed no mercy" popped out at him. After the adult Slairs had been killed, the two children were sent to live with a distant cousin and his wife in southern Britain. The couple taken the children into their home, despite never having met their parents, or in fact, knowing they existed. As far as Harry could tell, the Slair twins had grown up in a loving, supportive household. He frowned. _I wonder why Albus was asking about them_.

"Well, hello, mates." His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Arcturas Harmon. The second-in-command of the Auror office was a tall, silver-haired gentleman in his mid fifties. He and Harry had had some problems when Harry had first joined the Auror's department. Harmon had felt that Harry, who had completed the Auror program a year early, was not fully prepared for everything the job entailed. Over the years, however, Harry had proven himself, and earned Harmon's trust and appreciation. When Harry was named Head of the Auror Office, it had disgruntled several longer-tenured Aurors. Harmon had backed him up, and Harry had shown his appreciation and trust in the older man by naming him his second.

"Hey, Arcturas. You get those reports?"

"Of course. You're going to have to wait to go through them, though. Ratchet wants a word with you."

Harry sighed. Augustus Ratchet had been named the Minister of Magic two years ago, when Kingsley Shacklebolt retired after a celebrated fifteen year career in the position. While Ratchet had the good sense not to mess with anything on a large scale that didn't need messing with, he was always trying to micromanage everything that went on in the Ministry. The last time he had been called to his office, it was over the seating arrangements in the Auror office. The time before that, he had wanted to know if they should change the color of the robes the Aurors wore in public. Harry had tried to be polite in informing him that the way the Auror office was set up was the most efficient way they could arrange it, and that nobody really cared what color the Auror robes were, since they hardly ever wore them, anyway.

"What's it about this time? Standardizing the amount of toilet paper we can use?"

Ron laughed as Harmon smiled and shrugged. "Beats me. He got on the lift at the fourth level, and his robes were smoking, so I reckon it's probably got something to do with something that breathes fire."

Harry sighed and looked at Ron. "Doesn't your father tell him he doesn't need to be on top of everyone all the time?" Arthur Weasley had served in the post of Advisor to Minister for the past fifteen or so years. The previous advisor had decided it was better for her not to be an advisor to the man she had become engaged to. She had stepped down, married Kingsley, and Arthur had taken the job when it was offered.

"He tries, but you know Ratchet. He always has to be doing something, and when he doesn't have something to do, he invents something that needs doing. And it has to be done his way, because he's the Minister, don't ya know." Ron didn't think much of Ratchet.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Alright. Can you two look through these papers and see if there's anything even remotely important?"

Harmon shook his head. "No can do. I have to go meet my counterpart from the French Auror's office, remember? The Portkey leaves in ten minutes. Sorry."

Ron groaned. "I guess it's on me, then."

"Would you like to trade?"

Ron laughed. "No, definitely not. Have fun."

* * *

_"Level One: Office of the Minister of Magic."_

Harry stepped off the lift and into a large, round waiting room. The secretary at the desk looked up and smiled. "One moment, Mr. Potter, I'll see if the Minister is ready." Harry nodded and looked at the various portraits on the walls as the secretary knocked on the Minister's door. _He ought to be ready, he just called for me five minutes ago._ "Go on in, Mr. Potter." He gave the pretty blonde woman a polite smile as he entered the office (which was thankfully devoid of any fire breathing creatures), and found himself face to face with Augustus Ratchet.

The Minister of Magic was a older man, with gentle features and an unassuming appearance. Harry knew that the kindly old man look was a political face, however, and behind the shallow wrinkles and gray hair was a shrewd and calculating man who had not landed himself the position of Minister in as noble a fashion as Kingsley. "Ah, Harry! It's a pleasure to see you!" Harry noticed the use of his first name, and surmised that this was a call asking for a favor, as opposed to a call to complain about toilet paper regulations.

"You too, Minister."

"How're Ginny and the kids? Albus is starting his classes today, isn't he?"

"Yes, sir. In fact, we just got the Hogwarts report in a few moments ago, and I'm looking forward to reading it." Harry was hoping his hinting was getting across, and like a true politician, Ratchet picked up on it.

"Then I won't keep you long. I need a favor, Harry."

_Right on one_, Harry thought. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"One of your Aurors has a few connections with the Spanish Ministry, correct?"

Harry paused. "Amelia Cortes. Her father used to be the Ambassador to their Ministry, and she grew up over there. Went to school at Pico Dobre. Most of the Department heads there knew her when she was a little girl."

"Perfect. I've gotten myself into a spot of trouble with the Head of their Department of International Relations. I'm afraid my Spanish isn't as good as it used to be. I was hoping she could come with me on my next trip and help me smooth matters out."

Harry hesitated. This was an unusually trivial reason for the Minister to call him to his office, even by Ratchet's standards. Surely it could've been handled through a memo. "Actually, sir, I'm afraid not. She's on maternity leave right now, and she's due any day now."

"Oh, that is unfortunate. I guess I'll have to improve my Spanish, eh?" The Minister chuckled.

"Sorry, I couldn't be of more help, sir." Ratchet's eyes lit up, and Harry mentally kicked himself as he realized what had just happened.

"That's quite okay, Mr. Potter." Harry noted the change in title. "I actually have another matter to address."

_Of course you do._ "Yes, sir?"

Ratchet shifted in his chair and lowered his eyes. Harry recognized it as part of an act he had seen many times before, right before someone would say something they knew would not go over well. "You see, there are two children of people suspected to have been Death Eaters starting at Hogwarts this year. Now, they were never convicted, but they know the public's opinion about them. They have agreed to make a generous donation to St. Mungo's, if we keep their children's background as quiet as we can."

Harry gave a mental sigh. "Minister, we never release that information. It goes in a locked box in the back of the bottom drawer of my desk, you know that."

"I understand, but they would just like to make sure that absolutely nobody sees it who doesn't need to."

Harry nodded. "Of course, sir. What are their names?"

"Ah - Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius," _Figures,_ Harry thought. " - and Randolph Parker's daughter, Isabel."

Harry nodded.

The Minister smiled. "Good! Thank you, Harry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to draft a letter to the President of the World Quidditch Federation. We're lobbying to get the World Cup again for 2022." He tipped Harry an enormous wink. "It's looking good."

Harry smiled. "Of course."

As he left, he dropped the smile. He should have noticed the Minister's game earlier. He was willing to bet that Ratchet knew that Amelia Cortes was out on leave. He had asked for a favor he knew Harry couldn't deliver on, to soften the real reason he had been called in: To fulfill the Minister's promise of money for favors.

"I hate politics," he said to the empty lift.

* * *

As he walked back across the Auror office, he tried to remember what he could about Randolph Parker. He had been a Ministry employee who joined up with the Death Eaters after the take over of the Ministry in 1997. At his trial, he claimed he had been blackmailed into serving Voldemort. He had been acquitted, despite the two witnesses who had seen him cackling with glee as he fired curses at the Battle of Hogwarts. They had been short on guards for Azkaban at the time, and the Wizengamot had let a few low profile characters get away. Harry suddenly remembered why he knew the name so well. A few years after being acquitted, Randolph Parker had taken a bride much younger than himself in Pansy Parkinson. "Figures," he muttered to himself.

His thoughts were interrupted once again as he got back to his desk. "Harry! Did you hear me?"

"Er - No, sorry, Ron. What's going on?"

"What did Ratchet want?"

Harry shook his head. "Scorpius Malfoy isn't the only Death Eater offspring starting at Hogwarts this year. One Isabel Parker, also known as Pansy Parkinson's daughter, is also there now. Malfoy and Pansy's husband 'generously' donated a pile of Galleons to St. Mungo's to make sure we don't out their kids. Figures, doesn't it? Twenty years later, now our kids are going to have to put up with those two."

Ron raised an eyebrow at him. "Malfoy and Parker were the only ones who came forward?"

"Yeah, why?"

"There's a third student in their year who's the child of a Death Eater."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "Really? Who?"

Ron handed him the documents. "Right there. And Harry," he paused, looking uncertain. "They're in Gryffindor."


	8. Vexes & Voices

**Chapter 8**

**Vexes & Voices

* * *

**

Albus, Rose, Ewan, and Olivia entered the Charms classroom with their fellow Gryffindors at eight o'clock Monday morning. Albus felt a nervous sense of anticipation. He had waited for years to get to learn magic, but now that the time was upon him, he wanted nothing more than to crawl back to bed. He took a seat in between Rose and Ewan and looked around. The classroom was designed like a corridor, with seats on either side of an empty space, facing inwards. Albus wondered if the space was for performing charms in front of everyone.

Rose gave him a sideways look. He knew that she wanted to talk about what the Sorting Hat had said to her, and she knew that he wanted no part of it. She had just opened her mouth to speak when there was a commotion at the door, and the first year Hufflepuffs entered, talking loudly.

"Oh, I didn't know we shared classes with the other Houses," a tiny girl with blonde hair said to the girl with dark red hair that Albus had spoken to on the day of the Sorting.

"Obviously," said an obnoxious looking boy with a slight sneer. "How do you expect the teachers to be able to fit everyone into their schedule, otherwise?"

The Hufflepuffs took seats across from the Gryffindors and an awkward silence filled the room, which was fortunately soon broken by the entrance of Professor Flitwick. "Good morning! And welcome to your first class at Hogwarts! It should be the high point of your day, in my opinion, but I might be slightly biased..." The class tittered and relaxed a bit. "Alright, the first thing we'll cover is the proper way to hold your wand..."

Albus was a little startled to learn there were far more subtle nuances to performing spells than he had anticipated. Apparently, the difference between a flick and a slice could mean the difference between lighting a candle and lighting the table on fire.

"Excellent! Now, the first spell we're going to learn is the Hover Charm. I don't expect many, if any, of you to successfully perform this charm today, but it will be our first project! Repeat the incantation after me: _Wingardium Leviosa!_"

_"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Albus echoed, along with the rest of the class. Flitwick then described the proper wand movements, and set them loose.

"_Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa! Wingardi_ - Oh, forget it." Ewan dropped his wand on the table in front of him, after having spent the past fifteen minutes trying to get his quill to budge. "Stupid feather."

Albus wasn't having much better luck. He hadn't levitated his quill, but he had at least gotten a twitch out of it. On his other side, Rose was able to get hers off the table, but only for a second or two. Next to Rose, Olivia had snapped her quill in half, slammed down her wand, and was now being lectured by Professor Flitwick on the values of anger management.

"Oh!" One of the Hufflepuffs exclaimed. Albus looked up to see the obnoxious boy from before levitating his feather with a look of smug satisfaction on his face.

"Look, everyone! Mr. Wirre's got it! Five points to Hufflepuff!"

Albus glanced at Rose, who looked very disappointed at not having been the first one to perform the charm. He smirked, and returned to his quill. _"Wingardium Leviosa!"_ Nothing happened.

"Well, I guess that'll prove that Hufflepuff isn't just where they stick all the losers," the Hufflepuff boy was saying to the boy sitting next to him, who looked less than pleased with his seating choice. "I'll bet these Gryffindor meatheads thought they'd come in here and show us all up right away!"

Albus looked up in surprise, and saw the arrogant Hufflepuff smirking at the Gryffindor side of the room. Olivia was glaring daggers in return. He looked for Professor Flitwick, to see if he had heard, but Flitwick was busy trying to help the clueless Kelly Faust with the incantation. He tried to ignore the comments, and returned to his feather.

"We can show everyone who's boss right away! Keep whoopin' 'em at everything, and they'll have to show us some respect. Probably won't, though, I heard Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are pretty arrogant..."

Albus was more than annoyed. _I'm not arrogant._ Rose had silently taken Olivia's wand off her desk when she wasn't looking, Albus figured to prevent the other girl from trying to perform some curse she wasn't yet able to pull off. He tried again to ignore the increasingly rude commentary from across the aisle, and returned to his feather.

_"Wingardium Leviosa. Wingardium Leviosa..."_

"And you want to know what's even better? See those two sitting next to that really angry looking girl? One of them's the Famous Harry Potter's kid, and the other one's his niece! Guess we're showing them - "

_"WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!"_ Albus finally snapped, shouting the words at his quill, and then gasping in surprise as the feather shot across the classroom in a shower of gold sparks and embedded itself in the corner of Anteres Wirre's eye socket.

The entire class was silent for a moment, staring, and then Wirre let out a high pitched scream.

_"AIIIIIII OW OW OW OW OW..."_

Flitwick finally noticed what was going on and rushed over to him. "Hold still - I said, hold still, son, don't pull it out, you might hurt yourself more... It's not that bad, didn't puncture anything. Let's get you to the hospital wing - class dismissed! Mr. Potter, do try to be more careful next time!"

As Flitwick hurried Wirre out the door, Albus was still rooted to his chair in shock. "I - I didn't mean to - " But Ewan was giving him a hearty slap on the back.

"Good show! Toadface had it coming!"

"I would've aimed for his mouth, personally, but I suppose he 'saw your point,'" Sebastian McKinley offered, as the Gryffindors roared with laughter.

The Hufflepuffs threw them a few dirty looks as they filed out of the classroom, but even they seemed to realize that Wirre had been out of line. Albus finally found his legs, and shuffled out of the classroom with Ewan and Rose, Olivia bringing up the rear. "Rose, have you seen my wand?"

* * *

As they had gotten out of Charms a solid half hour early, the Gryffindors took their time getting to their Transfiguration classroom. When they arrived (still ten minutes before class was due to start), they were surprised to find all the Ravenclaws already there. Albus saw Amy Ripley sitting in the front row and made a point of avoiding eye contact.

"They really do take their education seriously," Rose whispered.

Albus took a seat next to Ewan at one of the two-person desks. "Where's the teacher?" Ewan asked.

Albus searched his memory for who Lucy had said the Transfiguration professor was. "I don't know. My cousin said she's a real stick-in-the-mud, so I'm surprised she's not here already."

At the stroke of ten, the door opened, and a hush fell over the room as tall, severe looking Professor Moorehead walked to the front of the classroom without pausing or making eye contact with anyone. She turned and surveyed the class, as though determining would be troublesome.

"Welcome to Transfiguration. Please open your books to Chapter 1 and begin reading. I will return in exactly one hour. Make sure you are familiar with the material by then." And with that one statement, she left as swiftly as she had come.

Next to Albus, Ewan blinked. "What just happened?"

Albus was just as surprised. "I wonder if all our classes with her are going to be like this."

In front of them, Rose turned around. "You two'd better start reading; Chapter 1's pretty long, not to mention complicated."

"Relax! We've got an hour, and I read fast." Ewan stretched out and yawned pointedly. Rose pursed her lips and turned back to her book.

Albus, however, was less confident in his speed reading abilities and opened his book. Rose wasn't kidding: He had to read the first paragraph three times before his brain processed it. The rest of the chapter proceeded much the same, discussing the proper state of mind needed for basic Transfiguration, the proper speed to recite incantations at, and many other complex criteria that needed to be perfect to accomplish even the simplest transformation. After five minutes of watching Albus sweat over the text, Ewan decided that maybe it would be in his best interest to start reading.

True to her word, at eleven o'clock Moorehead returned. "Alright, let us see what you took from that. Who would like to try to change the color of this stone?" She held up a small, smooth rock.

Albus watched Rose's hand shoot up, along with most of the Ravenclaws'. A few of their Gryffindor classmates also raised their hands, albeit without as much enthusiasm.

"You, what is your name?" She pointed at a Ravenclaw girl in the front row, who shouted her response out of excitement.

"Katie! I mean - Boot, Katie Boot." Albus recognized the name from the Sorting the day before.

"Well, Miss Boot, let us see if you can muster the magical fortitude within you to turn this gray stone blue."

Katie Boot stood up and hustled to the front of the class. She was a short and slender girl, her black hair hanging in curls around her head. She held her wand out in front of her in the exact manner the book described, and looked at the professor.

Moorehead set the stone down on the desk and backed away. "Give it a go, then."

Katie hesitated. "Any particular shade of blue, professor?"

Moorehead looked exasperated. "Pick your favorite, I do not particularly care."

Katie flushed, but nonetheless retained her determined look as she flicked her wand and shouted _"Verto Caeruleus!"_ Nothing happened. She frowned, and repeated the incantation, to no avail.

"As I thought. Would anyone else like to give it a try?" Moorehead asked as Katie returned to her seat, not meeting anyone's eye. "Ah, yes, no need to ask you your name, Miss Weasley. Please come up here." Rose gulped, walked to the desk, and looked up at the teacher, waiting for the order. "Miss Weasley, I would like you to turn this rock red."

Rose closed her eyes for a moment and muttered to herself before giving a hearty cry of _"Verto Rouge!"_ And, once again, nothing happened. Rose frowned at the rock, but didn't try it again. "Er - I'm not sure what I did wrong..."

"That is quite alright, Miss Weasley. Would anyone else like to try?"

Three more students tried, and failed, to turn the small river stone various shades of green, purple, and yellow, before Moorehead called an end to the futile exercise. "And that, students, is the lesson for today: No matter how hard they try, books are only good for teaching wand movements and incantations. You have to figure out for yourself how to build, within you, the desire to accomplish what you are trying to do. Think about what you want: Do you want to turn the stone blue for the sake of having a blue stone? Or do you want to turn the stone blue to show that you are not a complete buffoon? Do you just want to turn the stone blue so you can get out of this awful class and get moving to Herbology?" This last comment drew a few titters, and for the first time, Professor Moorehead's harsh expression began to soften. "No matter what your motivation is, you have to let it fill you, and let that drive your spell. Now, I want you all to break up into pairs, take a stone from the box on the desk, and take turns trying to change it into whatever color you feel suits that particular stone best. Watch your partner carefully - make sure they are saying the incantation correctly and making the correct wand movements."

Ewan flashed Rose a smile as Albus and Olivia went up to get the stones. "See? Turns out we didn't have to read that whole thing after all!" Rose glared back at him.

Despite their best efforts, Albus and Ewan were only able to get their stone a rather unappealing shade of light green reminiscent of vomit. Rose's stone, however, turned blood red on her third try. "Al, look, I did it!" she exclaimed as Olivia scowled at her.

Albus sighed, and returned to his stone. _"Verto verde. Verto verde! Verto ver -"_

"WHOOO!" A loud whoop of excitement from behind him made him jump in his seat. Torvald Nova had managed to turn his stone a very rich shade of purple and was not shy about expressing his feelings about it.

"What the - " A scared voice brought Albus's attention back around to the front. His mouth dropped in astonishment as he saw that that Katie Boot was green. Not a sick shade of green, either, but a solid pine green, as though someone had dumped a bucket of paint over her head.

"Oh, Miss Boot, what have you done?" Professor Moorehead trudged over to the girl's desk, where she sat trembling. She looked to her partner, Amy Ripley. "Did you intend to turn your partner green?" Amy looked as shocked as everybody else and shook her head.

"No, I wasn't even trying to cast the spell, she was, and she was trying to turn the rock blue, not green!"

Moorehead sighed. "Alright, Boot, off to the hospital wing. I do not know what you did, but it is easier just to give you a potion to fix it than to try to undo it with a spell. Miss Ripley, would you accompany her?"

After Katie and Amy had left, Moorehead looked at the rest of the class. "It is actually quite easy to fix a color-change spell gone awry; I just wanted to make sure she does not make that mistake again. This will give her some time to think about it. Let that be a lesson to all of you." The class gave another nervous titter, and returned to their own stones.

Ewan turned to Albus, and voiced in a hushed whisper what Albus was thinking: "Did you do that?"

Albus felt his face flush. "I think I might've - I was in the middle of the incantation when Torvald shouted, and it made me jump..."

Ewan raised his eyebrows. "Two casualties in two classes, nice, mate..."

"It was an accident! They were both accidents!"

Ewan laughed. "No worries, I know. Now, let's try to get this rock so it doesn't look like baby poop."

* * *

After lunch, they headed to the dungeons for Potions, where they met the Hufflepuffs (minus Anteres Wirre), who were still sore at the Gryffindors over what had happened in Charms class.

"Alright, settle down, settle down," the young and pretty Professor Caydarah said as she entered. Her bright yellow robes clashed with the gloomy atmosphere of the dungeons. "Now, I'm not a fan of talking, and I know you all would much rather start making something than listen to me talk, so I'll just put you in groups and have you get started on a simple Cleaning Solution."

Looking at the expression on Ewan's face, Albus thought he would rather Professor Caydarah talk for a while longer, just for an excuse to stare at her some more. He snorted. "Ewan, you're drooling."

Ewan started and wiped his mouth. "I am not." Albus rolled his eyes.

Caydarah seemed to know all their names already as she moved around the room, mixing students from both Houses to make small groups. "Alright, Fox, Akers, Potter, and... Sheppard, you four at the table in the middle. All your ingredients are there already, get busy!"

Working with Guy Sheppard was as unpleasant as Albus expected it to be. The pompous boy insisted on dictating orders to everyone, which Albus reckoned wouldn't have been that bad if he were a bit more polite about it. Tiny, redheaded Daphne Akers was as nervous as she had been the night before, and jumped whenever Guy snapped out an order. The other member of their group, Laramie Fox, was a fat lump of a boy as clumsy as he was wide. "No, I said only a pinch of rosemary, do you want the potion to make everything smell like sap?" Guy Sheppard was fast becoming fed up with Laramie's incompetence. Albus hated to admit it, but he shared Guy's sentiments (to an extent). Laramie Fox appeared to be incapable of processing the slightest bit of information longer than five words, and twice knocked over the essence of belladonna before Daphne took pity on him and moved it.

"Okay, Albus, sprinkle in some more ground eucalyptus root."

"I thought we already added the eucalyptus root."

"We did, I'm telling you to add more, that's why I said 'sprinkle in some more eucalyptus root,' as opposed to 'sprinkle in the eucalyptus root.'" Guy rolled his eyes.

"Why are we adding more, if we already added what the directions told us?"

"Because my father runs an apothecary, and I've seen him make this potion a thousand times, that's why."

Albus had had enough of Guy's uppity attitude. "Fine, you want to put more in, you put it in." He thrust the bottle towards his unpleasant dormmate, and stood back. The last thing he saw was Guy shaking the bottle over the cauldron, and the cap falling off the bottle and into the solution, before...

_BOOM_

Albus ducked, thanking his reflexes, as scalding hot potion flew over his head. The dungeon was suddenly filled with cries of pain as several students were splattered with the potion, which, Albus thought ruefully, was apparently not meant to have quite that much extra eucalyptus root mixed in.

He stood up as Professor Caydarah rushed over. "What happened?"

Guy Sheppard was glaring at Laramie, as boils sprang up on both of their faces. "He forgot to screw the cap back on the bottle all the way! I only meant for a little to come out, and the cap fell off, and it exploded!" Laramie was sitting on the floor, poking the welts on his face and sniffling. Daphne had caught the brunt of the blast, and had enormous pustules swelling up on her face, neck, and arms. To her credit, however, she was handling it much better than the rest of the victims. Kelly Faust, who had been standing behind Albus when he ducked, had also received a thorough dousing with the errant potion and was pulling a mirror out of her bag to check the damage. She let out a small cry when she saw the red blotches all over her neck and cheek.

"Alright, anyone who was splashed, go to the hospital wing for a Deflamation Draught, I'm afraid I'm out down here." Caydarah was surveying the damage with her hands on her hips, looking annoyed. "Potter, did you get any on you?"

Albus was checking his arms. "I don't think so..."

"Good, then take Miss Faust's place behind you." The young professor's cheery demeanor was gone.

Albus turned to join Ewan, the small blonde Hufflepuff girl he had noticed that morning, and another Hufflepuff boy he didn't know. "Erm. Hi."

The boy gave him a dirty look. "Here. Add the rosemary, and try not to blow anything up." The small girl gave him a sympathetic look.

Ewan leaned over as Albus sprinkled some of the ground herb into the cauldron. "Having fun yet?" Albus grunted a response at him. "We've got flying next, maybe you'd be better off staying on the ground. I hate to see the mayhem you'd create in the air."

"This one wasn't my fault!" Albus hissed at him as the two Hufflepuffs took turns stirring their potion. Ewan smirked.

"Whatever you say. I doubt they've ever had six first years in the hospital wing before the day was out. You should be proud of yourself."

Albus glared at the other boy.

* * *

Albus was surprised to find the first years from all the Houses on the Quidditch pitch when they arrived. "I didn't know we were going to have some classes with everyone!"

"Alright, now that everyone's here, we can get started." Their instructor, Madam Hooch, was a brisk older woman with short gray hair and very little patience. She wasted no time in polling the class and then dividing them into groups based on their claimed ability level. Albus found himself in a group with about ten other students, including three of his dormmates. Madam Hooch had given them simple instructions: "Entertain yourself while I make sure everybody else can get off the ground without killing themselves or anybody else." So, he found himself racing Albert, Torvald, and Sebastian (not that they could go very fast on the ancient school brooms), as Amy Ripley attempted to show off to her Ravenclaw friends, and Scorpius Malfoy tossed a small ball with Mordecai Crank and another Slytherin. He looked over at the intermediate group, who were practicing flying in a straight line, and noticed Olivia and Rose had placed themselves as far away as possible from Vilhelm and Vexibella Slair. Albus had been surprised to find that Ewan had never been on a broom before. He hadn't realized just how into the Muggle world the other boy had been immersed, and that he was about as skilled at flying as Albus was at Color-Change Charms.

"Oi, Albus! Catch!" Sebastian had somehow gotten ahold of another one of the small balls that the Slytherins had.

"Where'd you get that?"

"That blond kid had a few, I asked him, and he gave me one." He was pointing at Malfoy. "I expected to get a rude response, but I guess Slytherin got a few decent ones from our year, eh?"

Albus shrugged. _Maybe._

Their game was soon interrupted, however, by the sounds of Madam Hooch shouting at the intermediate group, a few of whom had somehow managed to have a collision (Albus wasn't sure exactly how, as they had been moving slower than he had thought possible, even for the slow brooms). Two of the Ravenclaws were sitting on the ground, grasping various appendages in pain. Albus stared in disbelief. _What is going on? Why is everyone getting hurt?_

"What's that, eight now?" Torvald appeared next to Albus as the two injured students started making their way towards the castle. "That's gotta be an all-time record for the first day."

Albus sighed. "I'm just glad it wasn't anywhere near me, this time. Hey, here comes Madam Hooch."

The flying instructor was zooming towards the advanced group. "Listen up! Behind the Quidditch pitch, there's an obstacle course. I want you all to run it in front of the rest of your class, to show them that flying isn't as hard as they seem to think it is. Not to mention, twenty points to the winner's House."

Albus raised his eyebrows. "An obstacle course? Isn't that... kind of dangerous?" He could only imagine what would happen in a track laden with the kind of obstacles used for racing brooms.

"Well, Mr. Potter, if you're scared, you can watch with the rest of the class." Madam Hooch raised an eyebrow at him as the other students around him cackled.

"I'm not scared, it's just - "

"Good! Then you lot can head around back and check it out, and I'll be around with the rest of the class in a moment."

Albus resigned himself to his fate and turned his broom and flew out the rear of the stadium. "Whoa..." He was surprised to find a full racing track, complete with starting box, lane markers, and finish line - not to mention a full array of items he predicted would cause another unfortunate accident before the day was out. Metal bars slowly rotated in place in midair, followed by several large hoops that seemed to move without any particular pattern. As the course twisted and turned, the various obstacles grew harder. Wooden planks moved up and down like guillotines, with mysterious blue fog hanging in between. He looked at Torvald. "D'you think she knows how many injuries we've had today?"

Amy Ripley sidled up next to them. "I don't think you know how many injuries we've had today. We lost two in our Charms class with the Slytherins."

Albus and Torvald stared at her. "What happened?"

Amy shrugged. "I dunno. They both just started getting sick at the same time. I'd say it was a smell, or something, but they were opposite sides of the room, and everybody else was fine." She raised her hands in confusion and zoomed off.

Albus looked at Torvald. "Ten?" Torvald opened his mouth, closed it again, shook his head, and flew off towards the course after the Ravenclaw.

Ten minutes later, he was mounted on his broom in the starter's box, fifteen feet in the air, with the rest of the advanced students beside him. He heard Rose shout his name from the rest of the class, gathered to watch. "Go, Albus! You can do it!" Albus closed his eyes. _Hopefully._ He had no faith whatsoever that everyone would get through the course unscathed - he just hoped he wouldn't be the one to get injured.

"On your marks!" Madam Hooch was hovering to the side of the course, looking far more enthusiastic than Albus felt she had any right to be. "Get set! GO!"

Albus pressed himself flat to his broomstick and willed it forward. He shot out of the box and immediately dropped down below the other racers. As he passed through the rotating bars, he cut to the inside of the turn and saw himself start to pull ahead of the rest of the group.

"Oh, no you don't!" A blur of brown and black somehow manage to squeeze itself inside next to Albus. Amy Ripley ducked under a stationary bar as Albus flew over it, and the two nearly collided on the return.

"Are you crazy? You're too close!" Albus shouted at the girl, who had a slightly deranged look on her face.

"Then back off!" she shouted back, a mad edge to her voice. Albus shook his head, but didn't back off. The two ducked and weaved their way through rings, jets that shot out bursts of air, and a pair of beaters bats that followed them for a good fifty yards. It was a miracle they didn't hit each other: When Albus went left, Amy went right. When she moved down, he found himself going up. It wasn't until they were three quarters of the way through the race that anything went wrong. Albus corkscrewed through a tight ring as Amy went over the top, and when she dropped back down, the two collided with a tremendous crunch that rattled Albus's teeth. As they both struggled to regain their balance, Torvald Nova went flying past, cackling.

Albus was startled. He had almost forgotten there were other people in the race. He kicked himself for losing concentration and pushed forward once again. Refusing to let Torvald out of his sights, he did a bunny hop over a unpleasant looking glowing green bar, and pushed himself as tight to the broomstick as he could go. He felt, moreso than saw, Amy coming up on his side, and knew that he would have to make a move to stay ahead of her: She was lighter and could therefore move faster than he could, even on the rickety old broomsticks.

Albus saw the guillotine planks he had taken note of before ahead of them, with the odd blue mist obscuring his vision. He took a deep breath, put his head down, and shot forward, hoping for the best. He went over top of the first bar and underneath the second before hearing -

"OOF!"

He swerved in time to dodge riderless broomstick that was spiraling out of control. Amy wasn't so lucky. She took a glancing blow from the broom and let out a small shout before regaining her balance - but the damage was done. Albus had a healthy five yard lead on her, and he hoped that would be enough. He didn't know what happened to Torvald, but didn't have time to think - He navigated the last few guillotines and shot out of the blue haze, hardly daring to breathe. He dodged one last rotating bar, and crossed the finish line amid cheers from his fellow Gryffindors. He threw his arms in the air in celebration, then remembered - "Torvald!"

He looked down to the ground underneath the blue fog, but Torvald was already sitting up, holding his head. He looked at Albus and gave a small smile and nod before groaning and holding his head. Madam Hooch was already flying towards him. Albus looked behind him, and saw Amy flying past. She gave him a sideways look and a scowl before joining her fellow Ravenclaws. Albus flew to the ground near Torvald and was mobbed by the rest of the Gryffindors.

"That was brilliant!" Olivia shouted her excitement.

"You left everyone in the dust! Well, except that Ravenclaw girl, but just about everyone else!"

Torvald was arguing with Madam Hooch over the extent of his injuries. "I'm fine, I don't need to go to the hospital wing!"

The instructor gave him a very cross look. "Well, fine, then can you at least escort that fellow there?"

"Who?"

"Over there!" Albus followed her finger to where one of the Slytherins was sitting, holding his arm. Torvald groaned, but acquiesced.

Albus sighed. _Well, at least only two people got hurt going through this thing._ On the walk back to the castle after class, Rose, Ewan and Olivia recounted the entire race for Albus.

"It was incredible! I thought you were going to get hit so many times, but you would duck just in time!"

"That is the goal of an obstacle course, Rose."

"You know what I meant, Ewan."

"I thought for a while that maybe that Ravenclaw girl would beat you, but I didn't think Torvald would catch up, he was at least ten meters behind you for most of it," Ewan commented. "I guess when you two collided, it slowed you down."

Albus sighed again. "I'm just glad no one got too badly injured."

"And you got us twenty points!" Olivia said, excited. "That makes up for that Hufflepuff git levitating the feather first this morning!"

Rose still looked put out by that incident.

* * *

As they entered the Great Hall for dinner that evening, Albus glanced over to the Hufflepuff table and noticed Anteres Wirre sitting amidst a crowd of his fellow first year Hufflepuffs, all of whom appeared to be sharing their less-than-pleasant thoughts about the incident that morning. Albus made eye contact with Wirre, and noticed that although his eye was puffy and swollen, it was intact, and didn't seem like it had suffered any permanent damage. He looked away when Wirre's gaze narrowed into a glare. "C'mon. I'm starving."

No sooner had the four first years sat down to eat, however, when James plunked himself down next to Albus. "'What's up, Killer?"

Albus put down the drumstick he was about to bite into and gave James an exasperated look. "I didn't kill anyone, all I did was poke somebody in the eye by accident."

"That's not the way I heard it. I heard from the Hufflepuffs that you speared the poor lad, and then tried to blow up some more of them later. And I could've sworn I heard a Ravenclaw say you turned one of them green."

Albus froze. _How did they figure it out?_ Rose and Olivia stared at Albus with their mouths open.

"That was _you?_"

"What happened?"

Albus blanched. "I - I didn't mean to! I was trying to turn the dumb rock green, and then Torvald shouted, and made me jump. I guess I must've hit that Katie girl by accident."

James laughed. "And what happened in Potions? You have to seriously try in order to mess up a Cleaning Solution."

"That wasn't me!" Albus was quick to absolve himself. "That was that Guy bloke."

"That guy bloke?"

"No, his name's Guy. And he's a jerk. He was bossing everyone around, and decided we needed more eucalyptus root, and, well..."

"He added some more eucalyptus root!" Ewan finished as Olivia fell off her seat laughing.

"It's okay, ladies, the swelling will go down within a couple days." Albus watched Neville Longbottom sigh and escort the two Slytherins to a bench in the corner, where they sat, glaring silent curses at the Venomous Tentacula. They had barely been in Herbology fifteen minutes when the two girls, one of whom Albus recognized as one of the Slairs' cronies, Isabel Parker, had backed into the great toothed plant.

Albus returned to his Pufferplant. _At least it was the Slytherins this time._ He knew he wasn't supposed to feel bad when misfortune fell upon Slytherin, but he couldn't help it. Everything he had heard about that house had been bad, and his interactions with their students so far had been less than pleasant. He looked up as he cut the skin off the bright orange plant, and caught Vilhelm Slair looking at him. The other boy started, then sneered and returned to his own plant, but Albus was satisfied: The boy's embarrassment at being seen was the first sign of any emotion other than anger Albus had witnessed from either him or his sister. It was nice to know they were human, after all.

"Ow!"

He jerked his hand away from the plant, and brought it up to his mouth. The sweet taste of the Pufferplant clashed with the metallic taste of the blood coming from the quarter-inch cut on his thumb. _Ah, well. Had to happen to me eventually._

Albus's cut was easily mended by Neville, however, and the Gryffindors (and the Slytherins, much to Albus's chagrin) continued to their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. Professor Phinean was already in the large, windowless classroom when they got there, putting an empty cage into a broom closet in the back of the room. Albus couldn't help but notice that the cage was covered in bloody fur.

The pale Phinean waved the apprehensive first years off. "Nothing to worry about. My third years got a bit carried away, is all." Albus wasn't convinced as he slipped into a seat next to Rose. "Please take out your books and turn to the first chapter," Phinean said as he shut the closet doors. "I hear your classes have been... interesting, so far. In order to keep this class from being as 'interesting' as your others, today will be a theoretical lesson only." He paused as the class let out a small groan. They were itching for a chance to try to cast spells again, after their wand-free Herbology class. Phinean continued, all trace of any smile gone from his face. "Let me be clear." His voice was low and smooth, but his message was clear from his cold gaze. "In nearly every class that your year has attended so far, someone has been injured. I don't know why, but I can assure you - the only injury any of you might suffer in this class today is a paper cut. Now, turn to the first chapter."

Albus swallowed hard. The man's glare seemed to turn his veins to ice. He opened his book, but before he could begin reading, Phinean spoke again. "Who thinks they know what the first bit of 'Defense Against the Dark Arts' we'll learn will be?" He spoke the name of the class as though it were a bit of a joke. Albus looked down at his book for a clue, but the opening pages seemed to only be about when to use defensive magic, and how to identify a possible threat. No incantations were listed. Next to him, Rose had raised her hand.

"Yes, Weasley."

"The Shield Charm, sir?"

"A fair guess, but I'm afraid not. McKinley?"

_"Stupefy?"_

"No, McKinley, that would be primarily an offensive or retaliatory spell."

Albus thought back to his parents' stories about the war, and raised his hand.

"Potter, what thinks you?"

"Erm - _Expelliarmus?_"

The corners of Phinean's mouth pulled up, but it wasn't a pleasant look. "You would suggest that, wouldn't you... But, no. The first bit of defense you'll learn isn't a spell. It's how to run, duck, or otherwise get yourself the hell out of whatever situation you managed to get yourself into." His voice had intensified as he talked, and he spat out the last few words. "Keep that in mind as you read the first chapter, because sometimes running from a fight is the only thing that'll keep you alive."

The first-year Gryffindors didn't have another class until well after lunch. By the time they trudged into their History of Magic classroom, they were less than thrilled at their free time being spliced by a class that James had described as "more dull than Uncle Percy's work stories." They were even less thrilled when the Slytherins walked in a few minutes later.

"How many classes are we going to have with them?" Olivia groaned and sank into her seat.

Professor Binns didn't even acknowledge their entrance, and launched right into the founding of Wizarding Britain. Albus struggled to pay attention, as did most of the rest of the class. While the classroom wasn't any more hot or stuffy than usual, it seemed to sap the energy right out of him. When they were dismissed forty-five minutes later, Albus felt life rise up in him again as soon as he stepped outside the classroom.

"They weren't kidding when they said that class was boring," he said.

"I don't think it's so much the class that's boring, as it is Professor Binns. If you listen to what he's saying, it's actually quite interesting."

The other three looked at each other. "No, that whole class was painful," Olivia said. "Like a knife in the eye."

"Or a quill," Ewan quipped, and Albus rolled his eyes.

Albus's dinner that evening was punctuated by the return of Struana. The small owl swooped down as they were leaving the Great Hall and balanced on Albus's shoulder as best she could without sinking her talons in.

"Oh! My parents wrote back!" He opened the letter as they continued walking, Struana still perched on his shoulder.

_Al,_

_I'm glad to hear you and Rose ended up in the same House together. How are the rest of your classmates? Are you enjoying classes yet?_

_I remember hearing about the Slairs. Look, Albus, all that happened when their children were very young. It's near impossible they even remember their parents, so don't worry too much about them._

_Have fun in classes, and try not to let your brother wind you up too much!_

_Love,_

_Mum_

_P.S. - Your broom should get there soon. Your little owl is a tad too small to carry it, so we're waiting for Delilah to get back from wherever it is she gets off to._

Albus frowned as he tucked the letter away. It was short by his mother's standards, and she had seemed quick to dismiss Albus's questions about the Slairs. He was going to have to write her back and tell her about the incident by the Owlery.

"Rose, have you heard from your parents yet?"

"No, not yet, why?"

"Just wondering."

Wednesday flew by in a whirlwind of notes and spells. Albus managed to levitate his feather in their Charms class. Professor Phinean's mood was greatly improved from the previous day, and began showing the class how to use their surroundings to escape an attacker. The first years took turns jumping behind doors or overturning desks, as Phinean fired slow Disarming Spells at them. They took advantage of the double period to have a competition to see which student could hold onto their wand the longest. After nearly fifteen minutes of ducking and diving, Phinean managed to disarm Vexibella Slair, and Albus was left as the only student still in possession of his wand. His classmates cheered him as Phinean awarded Gryffindor fifteen points. "One for each minute you would have survived," the teacher put it with a dark look in his eyes. Albus was just amazed no one was hurt during the hectic class period.

After lunch, they had their first Muggle Studies class. Professor Dennis Creevey was an excitable man who sported a mustache far too large for his small frame. Albus was intrigued as he explained the basic similarities and difference between the daily schedules of wizards and Muggles, but could tell that many of his classmates were not - mainly, the Slytherins, whom Albus was displeased to find they shared a fourth class with. He was less enamored when Professor Creevey assigned a massive amount of homework for their next class.

Ten o'clock that evening found the entire first year class at the top of one of Hogwarts' tallest towers for their first Astronomy class. As the class dragged on, Albus was finding it increasingly difficult to keep his attention where it need to be. His eyes were blurring from the constant motion of looking from his book to his telescope, in a vain attempt to locate some obscure star whose name Albus could never hope to pronounce. Adding to his troubles, two spots down from him, Scorpius Malfoy kept shooting him quick glances that he must not have thought Albus was noticing. _Why does he keep doing that? And why do they keep putting the Slytherins next to the Gryffindors in everything?_ Half an hour into the class, he finally decided he needed a break. "Er - Professor Sinistra? Could I be excused? Er - bathroom..."

The older witch nodded without paying much attention, and resumed her own bare-eyed inspection of the heavens. Albus slipped down the steps and found an unlocked bathroom at the base of the tower, where he splashed cold water in his face in a desperate attempt to wake himself up. He studied his reflection in the mirror; he enjoyed how the soft, flickering light of the magically lit candles made his features look older.

As he left the bathroom, he felt the same tingling sensation he had felt Sunday night, right before he and Rose had been attacked. He froze, clutching his wand. Whatever he did, he was going to have to do it fast. He closed his eyes, screwed up his courage, and whipped around.

_"LUMOS!"_ The bright light illuminated the hallway, showing nothing but a few disgruntled portraits. He backed up and started heading up the staircase backwards, wand still pointing the way he had came. The tingling feeling on his neck was getting worse, and his control was slowly slipping. He tried to breathe deep, but found he could only muster a few short, shallow breaths. He took another step backwards up the stairs, and felt his footing slip. "Aaah!" He fell backwards onto the stairs, and any control he thought he had was gone. He charged up the steps, his body stiff with fear, and burst through the door at the top of the stairs. "PROFESSOR! There's - OOF!" Albus felt himself stumble, and as his momentum carried him forward, his outstretched hand made a forceful contact with the first thing it encountered - which just happened to be Scorpius Malfoy's back, hunched over as he examined his text.

"What - AAH! HELP - "

Albus was helpless to watch in horror as Malfoy toppled through a gap in the battlements, and over the edge of the tower wall.

The next few seconds were a blur.

"NO!"

"What happened?"

"What's going on?"

"I got him!"

"He fell!"

"No, I got him!"

"Where'd Malfoy go?"

"I have him, but I'm losing him, someone help me!"

"Hold on, Johnson!"

"I can't, Professor!"

"I've got a hold. Ready - one, two, three, PULL!"

And Albus watched in amazement as tall, athletic Albert Johnson, with the help of frail Professor Sinistra, pulled Scorpius Malfoy to safety. He then realized the whole class was staring between him and Malfoy. Albus looked up from his hands and knees as Malfoy gave him a shocked look.

"Potter! What happened?" Professor Sinistra snapped.

"There was - there was somebody down there, they - they were - I thought..." Albus stumbled over his words, desperately trying to figure out how to explain what had happened. He looked at Malfoy. "I didn't mean to - I'm sorry..."

The shocked look on Malfoy's face turned to an icy glare, and Albus could almost _feel_ the hatred seething out of the other boy.

"I tripped, I didn't mean - "

Albus didn't get to finish his sentence. Scorpius Malfoy lunged forward, and delivered a vicious kick to Albus's throat. The force of the blow knocked him off his hands and knees and back into the stairway he had just come out of. He felt his head hit a step with a loud _crack_, and then all was black.


	9. Five Days

**Chapter 9**

**Five Days**

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy stood on Platform 9 3/4 with his parents, gazing at the great scarlet train that would take him to Hogwarts for the first time in his life. "Father, what's Hogwarts like?"

"You've asked me that many times before, Scorpius, and every time, I tell you the same thing: It's a castle. It's a great big castle, and you learn magic. What more do you need to know?"

Scorpius shrugged. His father never liked talking about Hogwarts. While his mother would tell grand stories about her adventures there, and all sorts of mischief she had gotten up to, his father would just scoff and walk away.

"Oh, Draco, don't drag the boy down." His mother looked at him and smiled. "You're going to have fun. I promise!" He forced a smile back at his mother before looking back to his father, who was staring at something farther down the platform. He followed his gaze, and saw a large group of people, many of whom had red hair, looking back at them. His father gave them a brief nod, then turned back to Scorpius.

"Do you know who those people are?" Scorpius shook his head. "Those are the Potters and Weasleys. There's a whole mess of them, and most of them have red hair, and they're all in Gryffindor. Now, Scorpius, listen to me, because this is very important. Are you listening carefully?"

Scorpius nodded slowly. His father had a troubled look on his face. "I'm listening."

"I want you to stay away from them. Don't talk to any of them unless you absolutely have to. If you see them in the hall, don't make eye contact. Don't sit near them in class."

Scorpius scrunched up his eyebrows in confusion. "Why?"

His father dropped to one knee, so he was at eye level with his son. "Because I'm asking you to. You've heard the stories about Harry Potter. You know the kind of dangerous trouble their family attracts." Scorpius nodded slowly again. "I don't want you dragged into that trouble. Please keep away from them. For me."

Scorpius swelled. He had spent much of his life trying to impress his ever-distant father, and revered the proffered opportunity to do so. His father stood up as his mother watched them solemnly. "Behave!" she warned as she kissed him on the cheek. He gave a genuine smile this time, then turned and climbed the steps to the train.

He searched the train, looking for an empty compartment. He wasn't very comfortable talking to people he didn't know, and hoped he wouldn't have to ask anyone to share. He had started losing hope, and the train had started to move, when he finally found an empty compartment in the second to last carriage. No sooner had he sat down, than the door opened, and another boy burst in. "Hello - Hope you don't mind, I can't find a seat anywhere."

Scorpius looked at the boy, taking in his appearance. He had short blonde hair and a face that was squished, like a toad. "Not at all," he lied.

"Thanks." The other boy stowed his trunk overhead with some difficulty, and took a seat across from Scorpius. "My name's Anteres," he said as he offered his hand. Scorpius sensed a pompous air about him, but took his hand nonetheless.

"Scorpius."

"So, what -" The boy named Anteres was interrupted by the door crashing open again. Another boy, small with glasses, was standing there, holding an enormous trunk. "Er - Sorry. D'you mind?"

"Not at all!" Anteres gave the newcomer a smile Scorpius found rather cheesy. "Here, let me help you with that." Scorpius watched as the two boys struggled to hoist the enormous trunk up into the overhead, then sat down panting across from him.

"Sorry, I would've helped, but I didn't think there would be enough room to maneuver," Scorpius lied again.

Anteres grinned at him. "No problem." He turned to the other boy. "So, what's your name?"

The new boy was still trying to catch his breath. "Philip. Philip Quick."

"I'm Anteres Wirre, and this is Scorpius, er..."

"Malfoy."

"Right, Scorpius Malfoy."

Scorpius grew tired with the continuing mindless chatter, and when he saw the snack cart go by a few hours later, he leaped at the opportunity. "I'm going to go get something, I'll be right back."

As he hurried down the hall towards the cart, he saw it stopped, with two boys picking stuff off of it. He stopped behind them, and realized a split second too late who one of the boys was.

"Oh - hello." The Potter boy looked as surprised as he felt. Scorpius rushed to think of something to say, opened his mouth, and drew a blank. He closed his gaping jaw, turned around, and hurried back down the corridor.

"What happen, change your mind?" Anteres Wirre asked as Scorpius shut the compartment door behind him.

"They were out of all the good stuff."

* * *

A few hours later, Scorpius and his compartment-mates were climbing into a boat with a fourth boy named Laramie Fox, who appeared to consist of more fat than anything else. Scorpius frowned as he watched lightning flash across the sky. A boat in the middle of the lake probably wasn't the best place to be during a thunderstorm.

"We're not going to get hit, are we?" Laramie Fox asked, wringing his hands. Nobody answered. "Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh no..."

"Be quiet, would you?" Scorpius glared at him. "The boat's not going to get - "

_CRACK_

A bolt of lightning hit a nearby shore, and Laramie lost his head and leapt up. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"

"Sit down! You'll get hit and kill us all! AAH!" Scorpius's eyes widened as the boat tipped and he tumbled into the icy water. He sputtered as he tried to stay afloat. He looked around for the boat and saw it a few feet away. He started swimming towards it. but found himself unable to continue as an enormous black tentacle emerged from the water, grabbed one of the others, and put them back in the boat. Scorpius watched in astonishment, trying to tread water in the rocking waves, as the tentacle grabbed each of his classmates in turn, and deposited them back in the small boat. Finally, it turned towards him, and Scorpius allowed himself to be picked up. The tentacle wrapped itself around him and gently lifted him out of the water. Scorpius couldn't help but appreciate the sensation of gliding through the air, before - "

_CRACK_

There was a blinding flash of light, and the most intense pain Scorpius had ever felt in his life. For a split second, his body was on fire and broken glass was under every inch of his skin. Then it stopped, and he knew no more.

* * *

Scorpius heard shouting. _I'm not dead_, he thought with relief. He opened his eyes, saw the panic-stricken face of Albus Potter, and groaned. You have to be kidding, was his last thought before losing consciousness again.

When he next woke, he was on the shore of the lake gasping for air as the rain continued to pour around him. "You're alright, son." There was a plump older woman kneeling over him. "Hagrid, there are several Warming Potions in the entrance hall; make sure all the students get one. I'll be up with this one in a moment." She looked back at him. "You're alright. Just lay still."

"I was on fire," Scorpius mumbled. It was the most coherent thing he could think of to say. "I was... fire..."

"Well, then it's a good thing you landed in the lake, isn't it?" The hospital matron was rummaging in her bag for something. "Here, drink this." She held a vial up to his lips and raised his head. Scorpius did as he was told, and felt the life rush back into him. He groaned and held his head. "Take this one, too, it'll help with the headache." He took the potion, downed it in one gulp, and moments later, his head cleared up. "Come on, dear, we need to get you inside."

Scorpius stood on shaking legs, and took a few steps toward the castle. With Madam Pomfrey's help, he was able to get to the stone steps leading to the entrance hall. He took a few shaky steps inside, then his legs gave out, and he crashed to the floor in a heap. "Easy, dear." Scorpius scowled at the woman as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He was just thankful there weren't any students left in the entrance hall.

"'Ere. Take this." The tiny vial of Warming Potion Hagrid was offering looked almost comical in his enormous hand; however, Scorpius wasn't in a humorous mood. He took the potion mutely and drained it in one gulp. He trembled as he felt the cold disappear, and looked up at the two adults.

"Are you feeling alright?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah."

"No, yer not. Yeh jus' got hit by lightnin'."

"I think the squid got the worst of it."

Hagrid frowned. "I'll have ter take a look at 'im tomorrow. 'E should be fine, though - 'e's survived worse."

Scorpius stood up, much to the alarm of Madam Pomfrey. "Sit down! Rest!"

"I'm okay. I want to get in there; I'm missing the Sorting." He didn't really care that much about the Sorting, but he didn't want to appear weak.

Pomfrey frowned at him. "Fine. But you'll have to come up to me after the feast and let me make sure you're okay before you go off to bed. And check back again first thing in the morning!"

_Fat chance of that happening,_ Scorpius thought. "No problem. Can I go in, now?"

The hospital matron sighed. "Okay."

Scorpius gave her a fake smile, and followed Hagrid through a side door that led to the front of the Great Hall. He slipped onto the end of the line almost unnoticed and waited for his turn. He watched with disdain as Laramie Fox managed to confuse his arse for his head. _Probably not that hard for him to do._ Scorpius was bitter. If the fat load had kept his wits about him, and stayed seated, he would be far less cooked right now. _Didn't use his head or his arse, then._

"Malfoy, Scorpius!" He heard whispers from the Slytherin table as he marched towards the hat, forcing himself not to look at anyone. He sat on the stool, jammed the hat on his head, and stared determinedly at the back wall of the Great Hall.

"Somebody's unhappy."

Scorpius jumped a little. He hadn't expected the hat to talk to him. He had thought he would simply sit there, and it would call out a House a few seconds later.

"No, not quite. Sometimes, but not usually."

He narrowed his eyebrows. _What?_

"Really, Mr. Malfoy. I expected someone of your obvious cunning and intelligence to have figured an enchanted hat would be able to read your thoughts."

_Just shut up and Sort me._

"As you wish. You're clearly a Slytherin."

There was a moment's pause. _Then call out Slytherin, and let it be done!_

"In a moment. There's something you want me to do, and I'm not sure I can do it."

_...What? What are you talking about._

"You want me to put the Potter and Weasley children into a different House from you. I am solemnly sworn to put students only where they belong, and nowhere else. I can't just put someone they don't belong, even if they asked me to."

_Yes you can. You're the Sorting Hat, you can Sort them however you want._

"I can't make any promises. They may end up with you."

_They'd better not._

"Why would that be so bad? You might make a good team with them, you never know."

_Would you just hurry up and Sort me?_

"...SLYTHERIN!"

Scorpius took the hat off his head and dropped it on the stool. Bad mood not improved, he took a seat at the table on the far left, across from a large, brutal looking boy who gave him a narrow stare. Not long after he sat down, an immense girl almost as rough looking as the boy across from him joined the Slytherin table, soon followed by a familiar looking girl with long red hair who sat down next to him. The girl gave him a sidelong look, but Scorpius was more interested in the next person up. Albus Potter sat under the hat for what had to be two or three minutes before the hat spoke.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Scorpius gave a small sigh of relief.

"We've met, haven't we?" The red-headed girl was looking at him again. "Our parents, they know each other." Scorpius suddenly realized why the girl looked so familiar.

"Yeah, we have. A long time ago, though. Scorpius."

"Isabel Parker."

He noticed, rather to his surprise, Philip Quick join the table. Scorpius hadn't figured him for a Slytherin.

"This is Mordecai." She motioned to the vicious looking boy across the table, who gave him a toothy grin. "We met on the train. Met those two, also." She pointed at the dwindling line of students, identifying a pair of dark-haired twins. "Still not sure what their story is, but they're definitely into something."

"What makes you say that?" Scorpius didn't make it a habit to be this talkative, but he found that he felt slightly more comfortable now that he had been Sorted, and Potter, at least, wasn't going to be in his House.

"Just look at them! They were being very secretive on the train. Not saying much, the works. They almost didn't let us sit with them, either."

_Sounds like me,_ Scorpius thought.

* * *

Scorpius spent his weekend avoiding most of his new Housemates and trying to find a few spots for privacy. He quickly figured out that Isabel Parker and Mordecai Crank were no more than a pair of toadies, looking to get a share of notoriety from whomever was offering it. While he doubted Vilhelm and Vexibella Slair had much notoriety to offer, they seemed to know impressionable goons when they saw them - they had Crank and Parker running interference on anyone who came near them. At one point, Scorpius had watched as Philip Quick was physically rebuked by the large, unintelligible Crank. Quick was an interesting one. He seemed genuine, polite, and very intelligent. Scorpius wondered how he had landed in Slytherin.

Scorpius wasn't one to dwell on Houses or blood purity. His parents had told him many times growing up that a Muggle-born witch or wizard could perform magic just as well as a pure-blood. Of course, as he well knew, his parents were of the "do as I say, not as I do" approach. He had heard many Muggle-related obscenities growing up, and had been quick to figure out that if he questioned his parents about it, they would give him a present of some sort to shut him up. He found that he didn't really care either way about who was pure-blood, half-blood, or Mud-blood. He didn't care much for people, in general. He had grown up with just his parents and a house-elf for company. Of course, they would have guests over for dinner, and he would meet other children then, but he hadn't had any friends growing up, and didn't see the need for them now.

As for Houses, he had figured (accurately) that he would be in Slytherin. His parents had been, and their parents before them. Hearing what he had about the Houses growing up, he had figured Slytherin would be preferable to the others. From what he had been able to pick up, Ravenclaw was for people who cared too much about getting perfect marks in everything, even the useless subjects. Hufflepuffs tended to either be idiots or sickeningly sweet. As for Gryffindor, that House was full of pea brained jocks and morons who lacked a self-preservation instinct. Slytherin was for people who wanted to get things done.

Monday morning found him standing next to Philip Quick and a pair of Ravenclaw girls around a simmering cauldron. "How much eucalyptus root do we put in?" Quick asked one of the Ravenclaws, a snobbish girl by the name of Katie Boot.

"A dash."

"How much is that?"

The girl sighed. "Give me that." She snatched the container of ground eucalyptus root away from him, and gently sprinkled the brown powder over their potion, which turned a soft yellow color. "There. Now, Scorpio - "

"Scorpius."

"Right, whatever, Scorpius, add the salamander saliva, and it'll be done."

As they left class later, Philip Quick sidled up to him. "That girl is a real piece of work, isn't she?"

"Mmm." Scorpius grunted his agreement.

"Well, we don't have anything until after lunch. D'you want to go check out the Quidditch pitch? See what it's like before flying class this afternoon?"

Scorpius almost accepted the offer. He had a fondness for flying, and had spent many hours chasing Snitches and birds around his estate. In the end, however, his desire for privacy got the better of him. "Actually, I have to write a letter home. I haven't written yet, my parents will be worrying, you know..."

"Oh. Okay. Another time." To his displeasure, the other boy followed him back down to the Slytherin common room, where he had no choice but to write out a letter. He doubted his parents would be worried about him, at least not this soon, so his letter was brief.

_Dear Mother and Father_

_I arrived at Hogwarts without incident, and am proud to say I am sitting in the Slytherin common room as I write this. Classes have just started, but so far are posing no significant challenge. Quidditch trials are open to first years this year, and I was hoping you could send my broom. Most of my classmates are unfamiliar, except for a girl named Isabel Parker. I seem to remember her coming around a few times with her parents a few years ago._

_Scorpius_

He read over his letter, and frowned. He had never been one for long, flowery notes, but it felt empty. He paused, and added a post script.

_P.S. - Hope things are well at home_

It would have to do.

"I'm guessing you didn't tell them about falling in the lake."

Scorpius started, and turned to see Quick standing nearby.

"Were you reading over my shoulder?"

"No. I was just passing by, and noticed it was short."

Scorpius narrowed his eyebrows. "You're lying."

"So are you. You've hardly told one true thing since you got on the train, haven't you?"

Scorpius felt his cheeks redden. "What are you talking about?"

"On the train, you said there was no room to stand and help stow my trunk, when there clearly was. And when you came back from the snack cart, you practically slammed the compartment door, and you looked like you were being chased by Dementors. Wirre might've been too thick to see through it, but I'm not."

For once in his life, Scorpius felt the need to say something, and was coming up blank. "I..."

"And I'm going to guess you didn't tell your parents about getting hit by lightning." Before Scorpius could stop him, Quick had snatched the parchment off the desk. "'We arrived without incident,' yeah, sure we did."

"Give that back. Now." Scorpius tried to make his voice as low and intimidating as he could, but he bright red complexion gave him away. Quick handed the letter back to him, a faint smile creeping onto his face.

"You don't like people, do you?"

"I love people."

Quick laughed. "Right. Look, even if you don't need or want friends, everyone could use an ally. That meathead Mordecai is a piece of work, and don't think for a second Isabel Parker isn't trying to figure you out. If you do something to tick them off, they're going to have no problem ganging up on you."

Scorpius was speechless.

"Look. Just come check out the Quidditch pitch with me for a while. At least you'll be able to see the new racing track they're working on. What do you say?"

Scorpius stared at the other boy for a moment, then, fighting every natural instinct his body was telling him, spoke. "Okay."

* * *

Scorpius had to admit, Philip Quick was smart. He had played him like a fool, and Scorpius had been none the wiser. He also had to admit, the kid knew his Quidditch. Scorpius figured that in the hour they were out, he at least doubled the amount he had spoken since arriving at Hogwarts, and most of it was Quidditch talk. Quick was a firm supporter of the Tornados, and maintained that they were superior to the rest of the British and Irish teams (which Scorpius found preposterous, since they had lost to his team, Puddlemere United, in the finals). After checking out the rather intimidating looking obstacle course that had been erected behind the stadium, they headed to the Owlery so Scorpius could send his letter, which he refused to change.

Scorpius had trouble concentrating all through Charms. He knew perfectly well they had Flying after, and barely blinked when two girls suddenly became ill and had to leave the class in a hurry. Finally, the hour came, and he found himself soaring over the Quidditch pitch in a far better mood than he had ever anticipated.

"Scorpius! Catch!" He turned to see two small, rubber balls flying at him. Startled, he caught one, but bobbled the other. He immediately gave chase, but found the rickety school broom couldn't move anywhere near as fast as he needed it to. Disappointed, he skimmed along the grass and snatched the ball up. Tucking one inside his robes, he soared up again, narrowly avoiding an excited Ravenclaw who was doing loops on her broom. He pitched the ball back to Philip, who in turn slung it to Mordecai Crank, who, surprised to find it coming his way, also dropped it. Scorpius shot Philip a questioning look.

"What? Don't want to burn bridges before we build them."

Scorpius wasn't so sure he wanted to have anything to do with the burly Scottish boy, but Philip seemed to have far better social awareness than him, so he just shrugged and caught the ball when Mordecai returned to playing height.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have an extra one of those, would you?" A large, blond Gryffindor was flying his way. Scorpius looked behind him and saw three more Gryffindors, including Albus Potter, zooming around, chasing one another.

Wary, but thinking about what Philip had said about not burning his bridges, he reached back into his robes. "Sure." He tossed the other boy the ball.

"Thanks, mate."

Ten minutes later, Madam Hooch was flying towards them after an ugly collision between a few inexperienced Ravenclaws had seemed to frazzle her nerves. "Listen up! Behind the Quidditch pitch, there's an obstacle course. I want you all to run it in front of the rest of your class, to show them that flying isn't as hard as they seem to think it is. Not to mention, twenty points to the winner's House."

Scorpius shared a look of surprise with Philip. The obstacle course didn't look like any type of track first years should be running.

Albus Potter spoke up. "An obstacle course? Isn't that... kind of dangerous?"

"Well, Mr. Potter, if you're scared, you can watch with the rest of the class."

Scorpius let a half smile slip onto his face.

"I'm not scared, it's just - "

"Good! Then you lot can head around back and check it out, and I'll be around with the rest of the class in a moment."

Ten minutes later, Scorpius was in the starter's box, his racing strategy planned out in full.

Madam Hooch flew up with the rest of the class. "On your marks! Get set! GO!"

And Scorpius remained stationary while the rest of his classmates flew into the course as fast as the ancient brooms could carry them. Only after the box had emptied did he start moving. _No sense in breaking my neck for a lousy twenty House points._ And so, he maneuvered the obstacle course at a casual speed, well behind the rest of the group. He winced as he saw Philip collide with the large Gryffindor boy and tumble to the ground. As he passed the finish line, well after the other racers, he mentally congratulated himself on surviving the race, until he saw the other Slytherin students glaring at him,not happy about losing their first competition to Gryffindor. "Oi!" He turned and saw Crank approaching him, his face beet red. "Where were yeh? Parker said yeh were taking yer sweet time back there! What's the idea?"

Scorpius stared at him for a moment. "Sorry. Broom's a bit twitchy. I think it needs new twigs."

* * *

_Scorpius,_

_I'm pleased to hear you are in Slytherin, and doing well in classes. Yes, Isabel Parker's parents are family friends, and I'm pleased that you remembered her. A good memory for faces will take you a long way in life. It impresses people when you remember them, and impressing the right people will help you tremendously as you go through life._

_However, I am slightly troubled by your statement that you "arrived at Hogwarts without incident," when we received an owl Saturday morning saying that, in fact, your arrival was anything but "without incident." In fact, I believe the way Professor Moorehead told it, you were struck by lightning and nearly drowned. Your mother wanted to come see you immediately, but I managed to dissuade her, saying that you would be okay, and would surely reassure us of that fact when you wrote us. Imagine my surprise when we read your letter, and found no mention of anything out of the ordinary. You must be entirely truthful with us, or I will come and remove you from school._

_One final thing of note: Albus Potter. No doubt him saving your life in the lake softened your opinion of him, and perhaps made you forget that I told you, in no uncertain terms, to stay away from him. This is the only explanation I can come up with for why I was told you were playing catch not twenty feet away from him on the Quidditch pitch, and gave his friend a ball for them to use. Yes, Scorpius, I have my sources inside Hogwarts, and I know everything you're doing. I would never have thought that I would be having to tell you this AGAIN after only five days: Do NOT have any more contact with Potter, Weasley, any of their cousins, or their friends, no matter how innocuous it may seem. People who associate themselves with those families end up in grave trouble, if not dead. Remember, I am watching you, and if you do not comply with my wishes, I WILL bring you home._

_With respect,_

_Father_

_P.S. Your broom should be included with the letter, provided this mangy owl doesn't lose it along the way_

Scorpius glared at the letter before crumpling it and shoving it into his goblet. It was Wednesday morning, and he was sitting alone at the table for breakfast. He looked across the Great Hall, and saw Albus Potter sitting with a large group of people, laughing and smiling. _Who does he have in here watching me?_ He cast his gaze to the Head table and surveyed the teachers. The only one he could think of who might have contact with his father was Professor Moorehead, but she couldn't have known about everything that transpired on the Quidditch pitch. He stabbed at a sausage on his plate, and then glared at it as he missed, and it instead rolled off the plate and onto the floor. He dropped his fork in exasperation, grabbed his Nimbus 3000, and headed back to the dungeons to stow it away before class.

Scorpius was in a bad mood all day. He allowed himself to be disarmed within a minute in Defense Against the Dark Arts, just so he didn't have to do any ridiculous leaping and diving. He scoffed as Albus Potter won his House fifteen points. _It's not like I was hanging out with him, or anything. We have classes together. We have to interact at some level._

At ten o'clock that evening, he climbed to the top of the Astronomy tower with the rest of his classmates. Professor Sinistra wasted no time in assigning them all mandatory stations to stand at. To his immense displeasure, he was stuck at the end of the Slytherin line, only two spots away from Albus Potter. _Well, at least when Father hears about this, I can explain it._ He couldn't help but glance at Potter a few times during the class, wondering if his parents had had any similar discussions with him. Somehow, he doubted it. About half an hour into the class, Potter excused himself to go to the restroom. As Scorpius was stationed right in front of the door to the stairs, he made sure to face himself away from Potter as he passed. He peered through the telescope. _Is that Capricornus?_ He scratched his head, uncertain of what he was seeing. _It's supposed to look like a goat with a fish tail? That doesn't make any sense..._ He leaned over his book, examining the bizarre constellation.

_CRASH_

The door to the stairs flew open, and Albus Potter came spilling out in a panic.

"PROFESSOR! There's - OOF!"

Scorpius was unable to move in time, and felt Potter's hand slam into his back. The blow knocked him off balance. "What - AAH! HELP -" For a moment, he teetered on his heel before gravity took him backwards, over the short wall between the battlements and towards the ground. He flailed, reaching for a hand hold of some sort, but found none. He had only a moment to think _I'm dead_, before he realized someone had a very firm grip on his ankle. He heard wild shouting from above.

"NO!"

"What happened?"

"What's going on?"

"I got him!" Scorpius looked up to see the tall, dark-skinned Gryffindor boy who had been standing next to him holding onto his ankle with all his might.

"He fell!"

"No, I got him!"

"Where'd Malfoy go?" He recognized this voice as Professor Sinistra's.

_Can't you figure it out, you old bat?_

"I have him, but I'm losing him, someone help me!"

"Hold on, Johnson!"

"I can't, Professor!"

"I've got a hold." Sinistra's head appeared over the wall, and he felt her bony hand clamp around his other ankle. "Ready - one, two, three, PULL!"

He winced as his back scraped the castle wall as they pulled him up, but it was a fair price to pay for being alive. As they pulled him over, he regained his balance and stood. He stared at Potter, too shocked to care about who might see.

"Potter! What happened?"

Scorpius tuned out Potter's stammering response, his own mind turning as he tried to figure out what to do. It would not take long for news to reach his father's ears about this latest incident, and he was sure he would receive another owl, likely about "putting himself in positions to interact with him," or something similar. As he glared at Potter, his hatred surged. _Why does he keep showing up? Why can't he just let me be?_ At that moment, all Scorpius wanted was to earn his father's respect. Scorpius Malfoy was not one to be guided by blind emotion alone, and this situation was no exception. He knew what he had to do to ensure Potter stayed away, even if it meant costing himself detention, or loss of House points. He allowed his anger to show and contort his face. With one swift move, he stepped forward and swung his leg as hard as he could.

Potter gaped stupidly as Scorpius's foot hit him in the throat, and Scorpius watched with a bitter satisfaction as the other boy tumbled back down the stairs. The tower was silent for a second, and then all hell broke loose.

"WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?" A rush of bushy red hair hit him from the side, and he found Rose Weasley straddling him on the floor, raining punches on every part of him she could reach. "IT - WAS - AN - ACCIDENT - HE - WASN'T - TRYING - TO - GET OFF OF ME, I'M NOT THROUGH WITH HIM." The Gryffindor who had saved him had grabbed her and was trying to lift her off of him. Scorpius stared at the stars through watery eyes as his nose and mouth bled. _This has to work_, he thought. _He has to want to keep away from me after this. And then it'll be okay. Father won't have to worry anymore... _He suddenly felt very tired, as the weight of the day came crashing down upon him. It was getting harder to make out shapes, but before he slipped into unconsciousness, he saw a bizarre shape in the night sky. _Oh. That's where Capricornus is..._


	10. Anger Management

**Chapter 10**

**Anger Management**

* * *

Albus opened his eyes and blinked as the ceiling high above him swam into focus. His head pounded underneath a turban of bandages, and his throat felt as though it had something unnatural lodged in it. He looked around, trying to take in his surroundings, before feeling his stomach lurch, rolling to his side and vomiting all over the floor. Groaning, he lay back in his bed in what he could only assume was the hospital wing. White curtains surrounded the area he was in, and beyond them, he saw numerous shadows growing larger. The curtains flew back, revealing not only Madam Pomfrey, but his parents and Neville. He felt his face turn bright pink. "Erm..."

"_Evanesco_." Madam Pomfrey cleaned up the mess Albus had made on the floor and bustled over to him, checking on his bandages.

"How do you feel?" his mother asked, anxiety showing on her face as she sat on edge of his bed and rubbed a smudge off his cheek.

"Like I got kicked in the head," he said, half-heartedly pushing his mother's hand away. The memories of what happened leading up to his injury were swirling back into place. He looked past the curtains, and saw the sun peeking over the mountains through the window. "What time is it?"

"Almost six," Neville said, sitting down in a chair next to the bed. "Albus, we need to hear what happened. Stories from witnesses on the Astronomy tower range from you walking out of the door and Scorpius Malfoy jumping off the tower, to you charging at him and throwing him off. I doubt either one of those actually happened, so you need to tell us your version of events."

"He's fine." Madam Pomfrey interrupted, unwrapping the bandages from around Albus's head. "He can even go to classes today, if he wants."

"What? Are you sure? You never let me go to classes after an injury like this," his father protested.

The nurse shrugged. "He's not as delicate as you were." Albus couldn't help but grin, then wince as the act made his head hurt even more.

"Thank you, Poppy." Neville looked back to Albus, waiting. Albus looked up at his parents. His father nodded at him and gave a reassuring smile, while his mother continued to look worried.

Albus took a deep breathe, and began. "I was coming out of the loo when I thought I heard someone. Well, not so much heard, as, well... felt." He felt his face turn red as he realized his story sounded quite lame, but Neville nodded. "It just felt like somebody was there. I lit up my wand, and backed up the stairs. I didn't see anyone, but I - I..." He lowered his head and told the rest of his story to his knees. "I got scared. I slipped on the stairs, and ran. I got up to the top of the stairs, but when I got there, I tripped, and accidentally hit Malfoy. It was an accident, I swear; I didn't mean to knock him over - is he okay?"

Neville nodded. "He's fine. A few bruises and a bloody lip, but he'll live."

This didn't make sense to Albus. "What? He didn't have those when they pulled him back onto the tower."

"Yes, well, after he injured you, Rose tried to defend you from any further harm and got a little carried away." Albus's eyes widened in surprise. Rose was not one to attack somebody. "Who did you think was in the corridor?"

Albus was surprised by the question. "I - I don't know. It was just a feeling."

"Have you gotten that feeling any other time since you've been here?"

Albus bit his lip. He and Rose had agreed with Ewan and Olivia not to tell anyone else what had happened Sunday night, but obviously, things had progressed a bit since then. "Once."

"I see. Would this one time be Sunday night, when you and Rose were attacked coming back from the Owlery?"

Albus's jaw dropped. "Er..."

Neville nodded. "Rose told us everything after you got hurt. Several people said that you were shouting about someone being behind you, and she figured it would be best to come clean."

His father addressed him for the first time. "Al, why didn't you tell anyone you were attacked?"

Albus felt his face turn red. "We thought it was those two Slytherins trying to scare us."

"What two Slytherins?" Neville asked.

"I think he means Vilhelm and Vexibella Slair." Albus looked at his father, surprised.

"We got a letter from Hagrid on Monday evening saying that you had nearly gotten into a fight with them," his mother snapped, worry replaced with anger in the blink of an eye.

"It wasn't just me," Albus protested. "Rose was there, and so - "

"That's not the point. Why didn't you tell anybody?"

Albus stared at the wall, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "We didn't want them to think they scared us."

Neville looked at him for a moment. "Al, we asked around after Rose told us what had happened. Multiple portraits said they saw the Slairs in the Slytherin common room all night Sunday."

Albus frowned, but nodded. It made sense. After all, they had been on the Astronomy tower with the rest of the first years when he had been downstairs. "Who could it have been?"

"I don't know, Albus, but this is very serious. We don't take unprovoked attacks on anybody lightly. We're going to investigate, but I don't know if we'll be able to find out who it was. If you had told us when it happened, we might've, but..."

Albus was certain his cheeks were on fire.

"How are you feeling?" His mother once again looked worried.

Albus thought for a moment. "Hungry."

His father laughed. "That's a good sign."

"You can go down to breakfast in about an hour, provided Madam Pomfrey doesn't have a change of heart," Neville said, getting up. "I'll leave you three alone, then."

* * *

An hour later, Albus was eating everything within sight at the Gryffindor table when Rose came flying in and gave him an enormous hug. "Are you okay?" She sat down on the bench next to him as Olivia and Ewan parked themselves across the table.

"I'm okay. My head hurts and I'm hungry, but other than that, I'm fine." He sneaked a peek at her hands. They were scraped and raw.

There was a minute's awkward silence where the other three exchanged hesitant looks. "So... what happened?" Ewan finally asked.

They leaned in as Albus told his story again.

"I'm so sorry, Albus, I know we weren't going to tell anyone, but, I thought..." Rose buried her face.

"It's okay, really. Neville said they're going to look into it."

Rose looked up at him. "I, er, also..."

Albus gave her a look. "What? Spit it out."

"She told us about what the Sorting Hat said," Ewan finished.

Albus sat back and rolled his eyes. "That Hat is falling apart. It probably doesn't have any idea what it's talking about!"

"But look at what's happened so far this week!" she protested. "We have to find out why it would put people in the wrong Houses!"

"No, we don't!" Albus responded in a louder voice than he intended, dropping his fork with a clatter. Several seats over, Kelly Faust and Quinn Olston looked over for the source of the commotion. "Look," Albus said, lowering his voice so the gossips couldn't hear. "It's just been a bad week. Nothing that has happened so far can be _possibly_ connected to students being in the wrong House! I don't even know how you figured that; I thought you were smarter than that."

Rose recoiled as though slapped. Albus closed his eyes in frustration. "I'm sorry, I - "

"No, you're not." Rose swung her leg over the bench and stood up, making sure to kick Albus as she went. Kelly and Quinn dissolved into whispers and stolen glances.

Albus groaned, but knew she was right. He was sorry for hurting her, but he had told the truth: The Sorting Hat's deception and the accidents and injuries among the first years had nothing connecting them. Rose, however, needed the world to make sense. She needed logical answers for everything, and would resort to illogical reasoning to find them.

"Smooth," Ewan said, nodding appreciatively.

Albus gave him a dirty look.

"It couldn't hurt to go check it out, though," Olivia said. "I mean, it told you to go see it, so it must be important." She shrugged.

Albus picked up his fork and stared at his plate. "I still say it's mad." They sat in silence for a moment, Albus picking at his breakfast. His hunger had left him. He knew perfectly well the only reason he didn't want to see the Sorting Hat was because it might tell him he belonged in Slytherin. He wasn't about to share that bit of information, though.

"I'd be careful in class today, mate." Ewan was looking over Albus's shoulder at the Slytherin table. "The Slytherins look like they're up to something."

Albus frowned. He had deliberately chosen to sit facing away from the Slytherin table so he wouldn't have to see them glaring at him. "Who is it?"

"Looks like all of them. Even Sunshine and Giggles are in the middle of it, and they're actually talking, not just being miserable like they usually are."

Olivia scoffed. "What're they gonna do, shoot sparks at him?"

* * *

_WHOMP_

"What the - "

Albus looked up from the strange green plant he was rooting around in to see Ewan standing next to him, covered from head to toe in a blue-green paste emitting an odor reminiscent of horse manure.

He looked across the greenhouse to where the Slytherins were laughing, one of them suspiciously short a Stinky Petalplant.

"Crank!" Neville stormed over to the large boy. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I didn't do nothin'!" Mordecai Crank protested. "It was an accident. I tripped, an' accidentally threw the stinker plant at Greenwood. Actually, I accidentally threw it at Potter, but it hit Greenwood." He smirked.

"You may think you're impressive, doing something like that right in front of a teacher, but that was nothing short of stupid. That's fifty points from Slytherin, and I want an extra foot on your essay about the properties of the plant you just destroyed. _And_, we're going to see what Professor Moorehead has to say about this at the end of class."

The smirk on Crank's face faded. The Head of Slytherin House was not a pleasant woman to be around even on normal terms, and Albus knew he didn't want to see her when she was angry.

"Erm, Professor - " Ewan was still standing next to Albus, covered in the disgusting goo.

"Go get cleaned up, Greenwood." Ewan bolted for the door without another word.

Two spots down, Rose was shaking with anger. "That little jerk," she whispered. "He and his friends think they can do whatever they want, I'll show him - "

"Rose, it's okay," Olivia said. "He got extra homework, and he'll probably end up with more detentions than he can count. And all Ewan's going to have to do is go take a shower."

Albus tried to make eye contact with his cousin, but she ignored him, as she had been doing all class.

"Olivia, you don't get it, do you? They're not going to stop until they get revenge on Al." She interrupted their protests, still not looking at Albus.. "We know that he didn't do anything wrong. But they don't. And even the ones that do get it, they just want the chance to beat up on something."

Albus had to admit, she was right. He chanced a look across the greenhouse, and saw several Slytherins glaring daggers at him. Scorpius Malfoy, however, was determinedly digging in his Petalplant, bruises shining on his face.

At the end of class, all the students (minus Mordecai Crank) headed for their Defense class. Albus made sure to put as much space as possible between him and the Slytherins. Olivia and Rose kept pace, with some difficulty. He looked at them. "Look, maybe it's better if you don't hang around me for a little while. They're just going to end up hurting one of you."

Rose ignored him, but continued to walk next to him.

Olivia laughed. "I'm not scared of them. I can stand a little smelly blue stuff."

"You notice Ewan isn't back yet? He's probably still trying to scrub that junk off his face."

She scoffed at him.

In Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Phinean was in a cheerful mood, and decided (much to everyone else's immense displeasure) that the time was ripe for students from opposing Houses to partner and practice Disarming Charms.

"Has he not noticed what's been going on all week?" Despite her claims not to be intimidated by the Slytherins, Olivia was not pleased with the arrangement. "Or does he just take some sort of sick pleasure in it?"

Albus was mercifully partnered with one of the Slytherins who didn't seem to be out to kill him, a small boy with glasses. They traded cries of "_Expelliarmus,_" once in a while managing to successfully disarm each other.

Next to him, however, Rose had drawn the short straw, and was partnered with Isabel Parker. They were practically screaming at each other as they traded incantations, although neither one seemed able to disarm the other. Finally, Phinean came over, and told them both to take a few minutes to calm down.

"_Expelliarmus!_" Albus deftly disarmed the Slytherin boy, caught his wand, and tossed it back to him. As he braced himself for the return spell, he noticed Isabel Parker talking in hushed tones to Vexibella Slair. _Uh oh_. "Rose," he said. Rose finally acknowledged his presence with a sour glare. "Look." He inclined his head towards the two Slytherin girls.

"Thank, you, Al, I'm glad I have you here to point that out for me. If only I were smarter, maybe you wouldn't have to." She sniffed and turned away.

"Rose - "

_"Expelliarmus!"_ He looked at his suddenly wandless hand in surprise, and realized he hadn't been paying the slightest attention to his opponent. "Gotta pay attention, Potter." The other boy addressed him for the first time, twirling Albus's wand. "You never know when somebody's going to get you when you're not looking."

Albus tried to appear confident as he walked over to him to retrieve his wand. "Is that a threat?"

The other boy looked solemn. "No. A warning." Albus narrowed his eyes, not sure what to make of the act, but the Slytherin boy just shrugged and raised his wand again.

"You ready to go, Weasel?" Isabel Parker was back.

"I've been waiting," Rose shot back, lip curling. Albus watched nervously as the two girls faced each other, wands drawn. Rose went first. _"Expelliarmus!" _Albus smiled as he watched Isabel Parker's wand soar out of her hand and into Rose's. Rose grinned as she tossed the Slytherin's wand back to her. Albus tensed up. Across from him, he could tell his partner was watching the action, also.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Albus let a breath of relief go, despite the fact that Rose's wand was flying through the air. Isabel caught it, then sneered as she raised both wands.

Albus felt his breath catch again. "Look out!"

"_Repulso Maxima!"_

Several people screamed as Rose was knocked off her feet and into the wall several feet behind her.

"Rose!"

"You nasty - "

Albus ran to Rose, while Olivia dropped her wand and bull rushed Isabel. The two girls fell to the floor, scrabbling at each other, while Albus pulled Rose into a sitting position. She was pale and her nose was bleeding, but she seemed otherwise okay. "I knew she was up to something," she spat. "She just didn't have the guts to do it while I still had my wand."

Albus winced as there was another bang, this time from Phinean, separating the two girls still fighting on the floor. "Class dismissed. You two," he pointed at Isabel and Olivia. "Stay. Potter, take Weasley to the infirmary."

Albus helped Rose to her feet and as he helped her out the door, chanced one last glance behind him. Olivia was still glaring at Isabel, shaking with barely restrained fury.

"Rose, I'm sorry - "

"Oh, Al, be quiet. I know you didn't mean anything by it." Rose touched a finger to her bloody nose. "And... I'm glad you came to help me, even though I was mad at you," she said, turning red and avoiding looking at him.

Albus smiled and squeezed his cousin's shoulders.

* * *

"I miss all the fun." Ewan slumped back in his chair and took a drink from the enormous mug in front of him.

"Sounds like yeh got yer own share of the fun," Hagrid shook his head. It was Friday evening and they were at Hagrid's hut, discussing the week's events.

"That wasn't fun! I was still trying to get the smell off me when the rest of them came back from Defense!"

"I'll tell yeh, Al, them firs'-year Slytherins may be really sore at yeh, but I can guarantee yeh the older ones are yellin' at 'em for losing all those points." Slytherin House was in the negatives, a feat Albus hadn't known was possible.

"We're not exactly the most popular ones in Gryffindor Tower," Olivia huffed. Her fight with Isabel had cost Gryffindor fifty points, putting them nearly back to zero. She had also earned a detention for Monday evening.

"Well, that's ter be expected. Yeh need to keep yer head, 'Livia. Yeh can't keep gettin' heated like that."

"Well, then people need to stop being stupid prats."

"People're goin' ter be stupid prats wherever yeh go. Yeh jus' hafter learn how ter deal with 'em. An' how do we deal with people like that?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "'We tell a professor, and we don't get into fights with them.'"

"Tha's right. Now, Al. 'Bout what happened up on the Astronomy tower." Albus swallowed hard. "I know yeh didn't mean to do nothin'. Most everyone does. Heck, I'll bet tha' even mos' of the Slytherins know it; it's jus' the ones that don't that're causin' all the trouble."

Albus nodded, wondering where this was going.

"But if yeh ask me, yer whole year needs ter calm down. How many of yeh were in the hospital wing at some point or another this week?"

"Nineteen," Rose said instantly. The others gave her a questioning look. "What? I started keeping track after the first day."

"Tha's far too many."

"I blame the Slytherins," Olivia declared. "They're all looking for a fight."

"An' tha's another thing. These inter-House problems hafter stop. We've been tryin' fer the pas' twenty years to get the Houses to get along, and we were doing well up till now. Yeh all come in, and one week later, ev'rybody's at each other's throats."

Olivia sputtered. "I don't have a problem with Slytherin House, I have a problem with people who think they can do anything they want and get away with it."

"An' what exactly were yeh thinkin' would happen to yeh when yeh jumped on the Parker girl?"

Olivia hesitated. "I wasn't thinking."

"An' if you had thought?"

Olivia looked at the floor. "I probably would've thought she deserved it and I shouldn't have gotten in trouble for it."

"Exac'ly. You need ter let the teachers sort it out. Now, I'm not sayin' that if you get attacked, don't defend yerselves! I'm jus' sayin', don't go makin' the situation any worse'n it has ter be."

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy pressed himself to his broom as tight as he could and passed through the center ring at the south end of the pitch in a neat corkscrew. He straightened out and slowed down. He had been itching to get out on his broom all week, and he finally had the opportunity after dinner on Friday. Focusing on the pitch below him, he dove back through the center ring, dipped down so his feet were skimming the grass, and accelerated as fast as the broom would take him. He looked up at his target: the center gold ring at the other end of the pitch. He tipped his broom up, pressed himself down on it - but before he passed through, he banked, coming to a stop in mid-air. "Arrrgh!" He still couldn't bring himself to do it at full speed. He just didn't trust himself yet.

He was glad the week was finally over. He was also (for reasons he couldn't discern) glad he was still at Hogwarts. His father had appeared at the school gates not long after he had regained consciousness on the Astronomy Tower. It had been an ugly few minutes as his father had shouted at and argued with the staff - but ultimately, Scorpius had expressed the desire to stay, and his father had begrudgingly conceded.

He heard an odd tinkling noise and looked around. Nothing was there. The noise sounded again, and this time, he could tell it was coming from outside the pitch. Curiosity consumed him, and he followed the sound over the edge of the stands and out towards the Forbidden Forest. The noise was growing louder as he traveled, and it was starting to sound like music. As he got closer, he realized it was a voice. He knew he would be better not to try to find it, but for some reason, he just couldn't help himself. He reached the edge of the forest and dismounted. It was close, he could tell. Knowing full well he wasn't supposed to be in there, but unable to stop himself, he took a few tentative steps into the forest and knelt down in front of the source of the music. A small music box, the image of a beautiful woman printed on the front, was nestled comfortably in the crook of a tree. Scorpius stared at it for a moment, amazed that the sound could have traveled so far. A beautiful voice emanated from the box, filling the air around him, and he stood, transfixed. His reverie was broken by the sudden sound of leaves crackling behind him. He spun around, suddenly aware of the fact that he was by himself, in the Forbidden Forest, at twilight.

"Who's there?"

There was no answer. The music box continued to sing, the melody threatening to drag Scorpius back to it.

"I said, who's there? I heard you!" His hand trembled as he drew his wand.

The silence of the forest was absorbed by the gentle voice of the music box, and Scorpius couldn't help but turn back to it. He stared at it, rooted to the spot, until he heard the sound of a twig snapping. The spell was broken and he whirled around again.

"Lumos!" His wand lit up just in time for him to see a heavy stick hurtling at his face. It hit him square in the throat, and as he stumbled backwards, another blow hit him on the back of the head. He fell forward and landed facedown in the dirt, gasping for air. He rolled over and looked around for his attacker, but saw nothing, and heard nothing but the gentle beckon of the music box. Grasping his throat, he tried to call for help, but his voice wouldn't respond. The only noise in the forest was the soft tinkling of the music box, still sounding its sinister call.

* * *

"Where is the Headmaster?"

Neville Longbottom was reclining with his legs crossed in a chair by the staff room door. He glanced at his watch and sighed. The staff meeting had been scheduled to start nearly fifteen ago. Several of the staff were growing impatient, including himself. After all, he had a wife and small child to get home to. Not living at Hogwarts was troublesome at times, especially with his duties as the Head of Gryffindor House, but he couldn't leave Hannah and Dorothy alone for a week, let alone a whole year. So, he Flooed into his office from the Leaky Cauldron a few times a day as needed, and students and teachers contacted him at home via the Floo network when his presence was required.

"Nobody knows where he is?" Gwendolyn Moorehead was not a patient woman. Fortunately, at that moment, the door opened and Bernard Button bustled in, wiping sweat off his brow with an enormous purple handkerchief.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. Must've lost track of time. Is everyone here?"

"Everyone but Hagrid."

"Alright, we'll get started without him. You snooze, you lose, eh?" He chuckled, but was met with a blank stare by the rest of the teachers. Neville shook his head, amazed. "Right, then. Er - I understand there have been a higher number of injuries to students than is typical this week, correct?"

Neville raised an eyebrow. "You mean, the fact that roughly twenty first years were in and out of the hospital wing at some point this week, they're attempting to curse each other in halls and in class with spells they ought not know, and their behavior is starting to sweep up through the years?"

"Yes, that. We should increase our efforts to teach the students proper behavior, and discourage them from behaviors that they should not be engaging in," he declared with a confident smile on his face. Neville closed his eyes and began massaging his temples, feeling a frustration headache coming on.

"And here, I thought we were supposed to be giving them all copies of _1001 Hexes_," Moorehead said dryly.

Button's smile faltered. "What would you propose we do, instead?"

She made a small noise of exasperation. "It is not that simple. We have to figure out _why_ hostilities are so high between students, and _why_ so many injuries happened during the week. Not all of you may have noticed, but the majority of the injuries actually occurred _before_ we had first years attempting to make each other erupt in boils. It was only after the incident on the Astronomy tower that tensions rose - fortunately, most of them are too raw to actually do any damage to each other."

The room was silent for a moment.

"Can all of the injuries during the first half of the week be attributed to growing pains?" Button asked, starting to cotton on. "Students accidentally harming themselves, or one another?"

"Some of them," Flitwick squeaked. "The student who nearly lost an eye in my class, that was the result of a levitation charm gone wrong. As for the two students in the next class who got sick... I don't know. That still baffles me."

"The cauldron explosion was an accident, also," Clarianna Caydarah spoke up. "An overzealous first-year thinking he knew more than he did."

Madam Hooch shrugged. "Just a bunch of clumsy kids on brooms in my class."

"Well, perhaps if you had not tried to make them all professional speed racers on the first day, there would not have been any injuries at all!" Neville could tell that Moorehead was not pleased with what she (and many other faculty members) deemed to be an extreme misjudgment of the definition of a 'sound idea' on Madam Hooch's part.

"Only two of them got hurt going through the course, and they were fine. A bump on the head and a few bruises."

"They were first years, in their first flying lesson, on the first day of school!"

"They were the advanced students! They could handle it!"

Button was wringing his fingers as he watched. Neville got the feeling he had no idea how to break apart the ill-tempered dispute between the two professors, the volume of which was rising by the second. The Headmaster was saved the trouble by the calm, quiet voice of Aurora Sinistra.

"I believe the next issue at hand was the matter of the Astronomy tower, and as I was the only one of us present for that, I believe I can address the matter adequately."

Moorehead and Hooch stopped their arguing, but the silence between them raged on.

"I doubt that Potter intended to harm Malfoy, but something had obviously terrified the boy. Maybe we should be looking into that, rather than blaming each other for the other, explainable incidents."

There was another moment's silence. A corner of Neville's mouth turned up. Sinistra didn't speak often, but when she did, her words tended to bring sense and order back to discussions that had strayed their path.

"Have you learned anything else about who tried to attack Potter and the Weasley girl last weekend?" Button asked Neville, who shook his head.

"No. Rose told me that she and Albus thought it was a pair of Slytherins, the Slair twins, but the portraits in the Slytherin Common room told me they didn't leave all night. Also, those two students were already on top of the Astronomy tower when the... incident... Wednesday night occurred. Whatever spooked him, it wasn't them."

Button looked at him for a moment, as though expecting more. When more was not provided, he turned back to the room at whole. "Okay - "

He was suddenly interrupted by the staff room door bursting open and Hagrid taking out a portion of the wooden frame in his hurry to get in. "Sorry, Professor, but - Poppy, come 'ere, quick!" He was holding a small, silvery-haired figure. Neville's jaw dropped slightly as he realized it was Scorpius Malfoy.

Madam Pomfrey hurried over. "Set him on the couch, here." Clarianna and Dennis quickly vacated the indicated couch and Hagrid gently set the boy down. "What happened?"

"I don't know! I was comin' up ter the castle for the meetin', an' I 'eard a noise comin' from the forest, like someone singin'. It took me forever ter find it, but when I did, 'e was layin' on the ground, lookin' like someone had clobbered 'im!"

"Who was singing, Hagrid?" Neville asked.

Hagrid's gaze darkened. "This was." He pulled out a small music box, painted with a picture of what Neville easily recognized as -

"A Veela. It was Veela music."

"He 'ad 'is broom with 'im. I reckon 'e was out flying, 'eard the music, and followed it. Can't blame 'im, I'd've done the same thing at 'is age. Whoever put it there was trying ter lure 'im in. Well, lure someone in, anyway."

"He's okay." Madam Pomfrey had been waving her wand over his throat and head. "He took a hard hit to the throat, and another to the head, but there doesn't appear to be any permanent damage."

Neville looked up at Moorehead. "His father is going to be out for blood after this," he said. "He's been hit by lightning, nearly drowned, dropped off a tower, and now beaten unconscious, all in the span of a week."

Moorehead swallowed and looked back at him, her usually stern countenance shaken. "This is not natural," she said. "The Ministry needs to hear about this." She turned to the fireplace and took a handful of Floo powder from a jar on the mantle. Button opened his mouth as though to protest the disruption of the chain of command, but quickly closed it, apparently thinking better.

_"Ennervate,"_

Neville watched as the Malfoy boy coughed, opened his eyes, and blanched at seeing the entire staff of Hogwarts staring back at him expectantly. He lifted his hand up and rubbed his throat, where a large purple bruise was appearing. Neville started as he realized the location of the bruise was exactly where Scorpius had kicked Albus.

"Are you okay, boy?" Button asked, crouching down. "Did you see who it was?"

Scorpius's eyes narrowed. A shudder passed through his form, though Neville suspected it was not one of fear. The boy opened his mouth and tried to talk, but only a raspy whisper came out.

"It's okay, son, don't try to talk if you can't. Madam Pomfrey, can - what?"

Scorpius was pointing at his throat. Neville knew in an instant that the significance of the location of the injury was not lost on him.

"What's he trying to say?" Button asked.

Neville took a step back and looked at the floor. "He thinks Albus Potter attacked him."


	11. The Secret Letter

**Chapter 11**

**The Secret Letter**

* * *

"They're this Friday?" Albus was suddenly very nervous.

"That's what the notice says!"

Albus ran past Torvald and down the stairway to the common room. He weaved his way through the crowd around the notice board, ducked under a seventh year's arm, and read the announcement placed square in the middle of the board.

_Gryffindor Quidditch try-outs this Friday, 5:00_

_Spots open on team and reserve squad_

_Open to all years for the first time in 150 years_

Albus's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the tryouts to be held so soon. It was only the second week of term, and he had barely had a chance to get adjusted to life in Hogwarts, especially after the first years' whirlwind first week. He backed up, turned around, and nearly ran into Olivia.

"What's all the commotion about?" she asked, munching on a Chocolate Frog.

"Quidditch try-outs are this Friday," Albus said, trying to hide his nerves.

"Oh. Did you get your broom yet?"

"No." Albus had been wondering what was keeping Delilah. His parents didn't usually send her on long treks, and even when they did, she never took this long.

"Oh. You might need that."

Albus rolled his eyes at her. "Where did you get a Chocolate Frog? It's seven o'clock in the morning!"

Olivia took another bite, taking her time before answering. Albus crossed his arms and gave a pointed sigh. "Nicked it," Olivia said finally, grinning. "Kelly Faust has a whole package of them, I doubt she'll miss it."

"That's not very nice."

"Well, neither is Kelly. Besides, it's just one, she won't notice."

"Didn't Rose try to stop you?"

Rose chose that moment to sidle up next to Olivia, also eating a Frog. "What's going on?"

They found Ewan and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, Olivia and Rose arguing over how many Chocolate Frogs they had stolen from Kelly, and Albus worrying aloud to a disinterested Ewan about where his broom might be. The answer to his question arrived halfway through breakfast, in the form of Delilah's immense form sweeping down on him. Albus was surprised to see that she was carrying not one, but two carefully wrapped broomsticks.

"What..." He took the first, and reached for the second, but Delilah squawked at him and fluttered down the table to where James sat.

"What are you doing? That's not my broom, you daft bird, that's Al's!"

Albus raised his broomstick up so James could see it. "She brought two."

James and Albus shared a look of puzzlement, replaced quickly by hopefulness. They both tore into the packaging of their respective brooms, hoping they would find what they thought they might find.

"Yes! Nimbus 3001!" James pumped his fist in the air. "Did they get you one, too?" He asked Albus

Albus was too busy staring at the broomstick in his hands to respond. It was magnificent, from the tips of the pale grey bristles, all the way up the silver body to the tip, whereon was inscribed a single word: _Valkyrie._

"Whoa," James said, as Albus's roommates gathered around to gawk at the broom. "They got you the new Seeker's broom!"

Albus noticed a letter had fallen out of the packaging.

"Can I hold it, Albus?" Torvald whispered, eyes wide in hushed reverence.

"Sure. Just be careful." Albus handed him the broom and opened the letter.

_Al,_

_Sorry it took so long to get to you, but I hope you like your new broom! They were sold out at Quality Quidditch Supplies, so I had to write straight to the manufacturer to get one. Sometimes it pays to be a former Quidditch player!_

_Love, Mum_

He smiled as he folded the note up and stuffed it into an inside pocket. _This is going to be a good week._

* * *

"Okay, Beaters, to your right, Keepers, to your left, Seekers, in the middle. Chasers, you're up first."

Albus took a seat in the stands with the other Quidditch hopefuls and watched as the Chasers rose up into the sky. The week had met his expectations in splendid fashion. He had opened every lock put in front of him in Charms, disarmed Vilhelm Slair in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and the only person to find the seed inside their Bulbous Crabplant faster than him was Ewan, who seemed to have a natural talent for Herbology (when it wasn't splattered all over him). Friday's classes had concluded with he, Rose, Olivia, and Ewan's Enlarging Potion producing an enormous hippogriff feather.

The four of them had even resolved to attempt to contact the Sorting Hat as soon as possible. It was a decision Albus suspected he would soon regret, but his successes that week had given him a newfound sense of confidence.

It was with shaking knees and trembling fingers, however, that he had made his way to the Quidditch pitch with Torvald Nova, Sebastian McKinley, and Albert Johnson for try-outs. His nerves were wearing on him, and it didn't help that roughly half of Gryffindor House was sitting on the other side of the pitch, watching.

He looked at the dozen Chaser hopefuls, high in the air, and watched as the Captain, Conrad Clearview, talked to them, occasionally making motions with his hands. Although only seventeen, Clearview had a very strong and mature presence about him, one that commanded respect, not to mention attention. Albus had noticed him easily in the common room: He was the one surrounded by giggling girls at all times.

The Chasers flew into a long line, and followed Clearview around the pitch in what appeared to be a simple follow the leader exercise. Suddenly, he swooped down, snatched the Quaffle off the ground, and pitched it to the sixth year girl behind him. She skillfully nabbed it and slung it over her shoulder to the student behind her. Clearview swerved out of the line to observe the action. Albus watched in amazement as the Chasers passed the ball over their shoulders to the person behind them, all the while still soaring around the pitch. When it was Torvald's turn, he nearly dropped the Quaffle in excitement, but managed to get it under control, and passed it backwards to James. When the ball reached the last person, Clearview gave a short whistle and the Chasers flew to the center of the pitch. Albus was dumbfounded. The level of skill and dexterity displayed by all the potential Chasers was far greater than what he had expected to see. He looked at the other two reserve Seeker candidates and silently hoped that he would be able to keep up with them.

He watched as the Chasers moved into two-on-two scoring drills. He was surprised to see that Torvald Nova was rather dainty and evasive in a game situation. He did a clever roll to avoid a fifth year and whipped the Quaffle square through the middle of the center ring. Granted, there was no Keeper, but it was an impressive move nonetheless. James had apparently learned to share the Quaffle, and he and Hannah Warborough kept a steady passing game going all the way to the goal posts, until James lowered his shoulder and charged straight at the opposing Chaser, who squeaked and narrowly avoided him. He swung his arm in a wide arc and slung the Quaffle through the hoop on the right. Ten minutes later, Clearview lined the Chasers up again.

"Alright. Chasers will be Wise, Fremont, and Potter. Warborough, you're on reserve. The rest of you, thanks for trying out, and better luck next year." Albus clapped along with the rest of the Gryffindors, and gave James a thumbs-up as he flew by. James responded with a smirk and a different finger. Albus rolled his eyes, looked up and saw Clearview talking to Torvald, who, despite not making the squad, had a grin on his face. They finished their discussion, and Clearview flew down in front of the stands. "Alright, Keepers, let's go!"

The Keepers were put through similar drills as the Chasers, culminating with them having to block shots from the newly selected Chasers. Albert Johnson was not selected for either the starting or reserve spot, but held no grudges as he congratulated and shook the hands of the winners, nonetheless.

The Beaters took the most time to settle, being that there were no clear way to measure their skill. Albus felt, however, that the bar was set by a fierce hit by Fred that nearly unseated James. In the end, Fred made the cut and returned to his starting spot, along with a haughty looking seventh year who bore a striking resemblance to a boulder.

Clearview dropped down in front of the three Seeker candidates, and Albus felt the bottom of the stomach drop out. "Okay, Seekers. This one's easy. We're going to play a game, and whichever one of you gets the Snitch gets the reserve spot." Albus nodded, and mounted his new broom. He had been out practicing every night that week, and was still amazed at its response. He soared up into the air over the pitch, and as the wind blew his hair back, it also blew his nerves away, and suddenly, everything was right. He smiled.

_Let's do this._

* * *

"That was brilliant!"

"You got it from right under Hooker's nose!"

The first year Gryffindors were walking back up to the castle, still amazed at what had just happened. The scrimmage had been going on for scarcely five minutes when Albus raised his hand in triumph, the Snitch clasped firmly in his palm. One of his competitors, outraged, demanded another game, claiming that it was just luck, and that five minutes wasn't enough time to tell who was the better Seeker. It only took three minutes for Albus to find and capture the Snitch the second time. He suspected the Snitch had been modified to fly slower, but that didn't make him any less happy at having made the cut.

"He was so mad. Did you see him throw his broom after?"

Albus was trying his best to be modest, but it was difficult. He broke into a wide smile. "He really was mad, wasn't he?"

"Potter!"

Albus turned around and saw Conrad Clearview walking with a few fellow seventh years, about ten paces behind them. "Practice tomorrow, ten o'clock sharp." Albus nodded, and turned back to his classmates. Despite none of them making either the team or reserve squad, Albert, Sebastian, and Torvald were in extraordinarily high spirits. While Ewan, Olivia, and Rose didn't quite share the others' enthusiasm for Quidditch, they could tell an exciting game when they saw one, and what they had just seen certainly qualified as exciting.

That night, Albus went to lay down in his bed, and discovered an envelope sitting on his pillow. He picked it up and read the neat script on the front.

_Albus Potter - Open in __private_

He looked around the room. Ewan was already asleep. Torvald and Sebastian were arguing over whose robes were whose, and Guy and Albert were nowhere to be seen. Albus drew the curtains around his bed, lit his wand, and opened the letter.

_Albus Potter_

_Report to the eastern seventh floor corridor at precisely thirty minutes past seven o'clock this Thursday, 21 September. DO NOT tell anyone where you are going. DO NOT let anyone follow you. DO NOT tell anyone about this letter._

_V.O._

_CC: C.C., V.W._

Albus re-read the letter, utterly baffled. _Who is V.O., and why do they want me to meet them Thursday night? _He folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope, then let out a short yelp as the envelope burst into flames. Within seconds, nothing, not even ash, remained of the letter. He laid back in his bed, thinking. Sleep did not come easily that night.

* * *

Five minutes to ten the next morning found him walking down to the Quidditch pitch with James, Fred, and Hannah.

"So, what are practices like?"

"Well, we practice. Quidditch, that is."

"Very funny, James."

"What do you want me to tell you? It's a practice!"

They walked in just in time to see the very end of the Ravenclaw practice. Their captain blew his whistle and the figures descended. Albus recognized one of them, and she recognized him, too. Amy Ripley flew over to him. "So, made the Gryffindor team, hmm?"

Albus decided to take a leaf out of James's book. "No, I'm just standing here with a broom because it looks cool."

She rolled her eyes. "Even if you're on the team, Ravenclaw is still going to whip you guys for the next seven years." She winked at them. "You're looking at the new Seeker!"

Albus's jaw dropped. _She got the starting spot?_

An older girl bearing a strong resemblance to Amy walked past, smacking her on the back of the head as she went. "Shut up, Amy. You're the reserve, and only because nobody else tried out."

Amy flushed, and hurried after the other girl. "Shut up, yourself, Penny!"

James watched her as she disappeared around the corner towards the locker rooms. "I think she fancies you, little brother."

Albus rolled his eyes. "You need to shut up, too." He climbed onto his broom and soared into the air. He closed his eyes and smiled as he felt the rush of the cool air against him.

Albus's first Quidditch practice went as well as he could have expected. They started off with some simple passes of the Quaffle to get themselves warmed up, and to get the new members of the team acquainted with the veterans. James's fellow starting Chasers, Alexis Fremont and Haley Wise, were two seventh and sixth year Muggle-born girls who had instantly fallen in love with the sport upon arriving at Hogwarts, and had both cracked the starting line-up by their respective third years. The Keeper was a sixth year girl by the name of Wendy Bendt, who, to Albus, seemed a bit of a mother hen. Fred's companion Beater, whose resemblance to a boulder was even more prominent that morning as he was wearing grey, was a grumpy but skillful seventh year whom Albus had gathered was named Rufus Underhill (Rufus had stared at Albus and turned away when Albus asked him his name).

After a brief scrimmage that ended when Fred nearly took off James's head with a Bludger, Albus sat with the rest of the reserve squad in the stands and watched the rest of the team practice some complicated drills. In addition to Hannah, there were a pair of second years named Jonas Tingle and Ernie Kern, who played Beater and Keeper, respectively. Neither of them seemed particularly bright to Albus, but they were pleasant enough.

His thoughts drifted as the practice slowed down, and the letter from the night before came to mind. The only people he could think of with the initials C.C. and V.W. were Conrad Clearview and his cousin Victoire, but he didn't know what they would be up to. He had barely spoken to Victoire since arriving at Hogwarts, and had just formally met Clearview the day before. He couldn't think of anyone with the initials V.O..

"Whoa!" Hannah was pointing at the sky. "Look at that!" Albus looked up, and saw James, Haley, and Alexis doing a complicated maneuver that reminded Albus vaguely of a juggler - except the Quaffle was in the place of the juggler, and the Chasers were the balls. He nodded and continued watching, but his thoughts were still with the letter. He hadn't mentioned it to anybody, and wasn't sure if he should. What if it was a trick by Malfoy or the Slairs to get even for the incident on the Astronomy Tower the week before? He had glanced at Malfoy a few times over the past week, and was shocked to see the boy glaring at him with barely restrained anger each time. He frowned. Waiting until Thursday was going to be rough.

* * *

The week dragged on just as Albus had feared it would, but fortunately, his performance in his classes didn't suffer for it. He had picked up the Incendiary Charm in no time at all, and spent the next few days taking great delight in setting small pieces of paper or quills ablaze, much to the annoyance of their owner (usually Rose). He and Olivia had teamed up in Defense and disarmed both Slair twins before they could try anything they weren't supposed to. Their first solo attempt at potion-making hadn't been a complete disaster, and his Warming potion was declared "serviceable" by Professor Caydarah (although he felt flushed for the rest of the day). The only area he found himself struggling in was Transfiguration. Although he could turn the match he was given a silver color, he could not turn it into the needle that Rose managed to produce on the second day of trying.

Albus indeed balked on his agreement to attempt to confront the Sorting Hat. The sliver of confusion the letter had given him had thrown off his confidence. Rose continued to badger him about it, her efforts aided by Olivia, who was very effective at getting under Albus's skin with a constant stream of questions and opinions about the issue. Albus, however, found an ally in Ewan, who sided with Albus in saying that the Hat "probably had a few threads loose, so to speak."

Thursday evening finally arrived, and Albus found himself in the common room, wondering how he was going to get away from Ewan and Olivia. Rose was off trying to track down Professor Moorehead to ask her a question about some spell or another.

"That can't be what it's used for, the book doesn't say that!"

"Olivia, I'm telling you, I grew up in what was pretty much a Muggle home, and trust me, the Internet is mainly used for - "

"But - that's disgusting!"

"Well, there you have it."

Albus stood up suddenly, and Ewan and Olivia stopped their debate and stared at the sudden movement. "Erm. I just remembered, I have to go send a letter." He turned around and ran up the steps to the dormitory, fully aware his companions were staring at his awkward departure. Once he got there, he grabbed an empty envelope and shoved a blank piece of parchment into it, making it seem as though he actually had a letter. He ran back down the steps and hurried out the portrait hole. He turned the corner and nearly knocked Rose over. "Oh. Hi." He noticed she wasn't heading towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Hi. What are you doing?"

"Just, uh, just going to send a letter. You going back in?"

"No, uh, actually, I, er, I have to send a letter, too." She held up a sealed envelope. "I suppose we can go together." She smiled weakly. "We'd just better hope nobody attacks us this time."

_Blast_. "Okay, sure."

The two cousins left Gryffindor Tower, Albus desperately trying to figure out how he was going to ditch Rose. As they turned the corner to the eastern corridor, he was relieved of this duty when Rose suddenly spoke. "Oh, I forgot to add something to the letter. I'll catch up to you."

"Oh, okay, no problem." Rose turned around and hurried back the way they had come. Albus walked slowly down the corridor, which appeared deserted. He drew his wand, anticipating an ambush, but none came. He stood still for a moment, inspecting a tapestry of trolls attempting to learn to dance. A sudden noise behind him made him whirl around, and he caught a flash of bright red hair disappearing around the corner.

"Rose?"

His cousin peeked her head back out from behind the wall.

"Albus, what are you still doing here? You didn't have to wait!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why were you hiding?" A sudden burst of realization hit them both at the same time.

"Did you get..."

"...a letter?"

They stared at each other for a moment, before the sound of footsteps caught their attention from the other end of the hall. They both drew their wands, the idea that they had both just walked into a trap gaining prominence in their minds. It was not Malfoy, the Slairs, or their goons, however, who appeared at the end of the hallway. It was Katie Boot, the Ravenclaw girl Albus had accidentally turned green on the first day of class.

She frowned at them. "What are you doing?"

Albus and Rose lowered their wands. "Nothing," Albus said. "Just... nothing."

The other girl raised a questioning eyebrow. "I see... would 'nothing' involve waiting for someone named 'V.O.' to show up?"

Albus's jaw dropped. "You got a letter, too?"

Katie nodded. "So, you don't have any idea what this is about, then?"

They shook their heads, and for the third time, a noise behind Albus caught his attention. He spun around once again and saw James and Fred walking towards them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Albus asked.

James grinned. "Meeting you." He held out a piece of parchment. "Here, you three sign this."

"What? Meeting us? Why do I have to sign this?"

"Just sign it."

"I'm not going to sign it. You've probably jinxed it so it'll... I don't know. Explode, or something."

James rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Al, if I were going to jinx it, I'd be more creative than that. Just sign it, and you can find out what your letter was all about."

"You sent that letter?"

"I delivered yours, Al, but I didn't write it. Now just sign the bloody parchment, so we can take you in and you can meet everyone."

"Everyone who?" Albus was still reluctant, as was Rose. Katie Boot, however, stepped right up and signed her name in a neat script square in the middle of the parchment.

"Alright, we have one taker!" Fred grinned at the Ravenclaw girl. "Who's next?"

James looked at Albus and Rose, suddenly becoming serious. "C'mon, you two. This isn't a prank, I swear."

Albus gave James one last calculating look before taking the quill and writing his name underneath Katie's. Rose followed suit, although she was even more cautious than Albus.

James smiled. "Excellent."

"Okay, now tell us what this is all about."

"In a moment." James stepped back, revealing a door behind him that Albus was certain hadn't been there a moment before. "Let's go!"

Albus shared an uncertain look with Rose, before following James and Fred through the door. As soon as he passed through, however, he gasped. They had entered an enormous room, with a ceiling far higher than Albus knew was possible, as they were on the seventh floor. Lining the walls were bookshelves, filled to capacity with tomes of varying sizes and age. In the back, there was a large, open space, occasionally spotted by a spell dummy that looked like it had seen better days. What caught Albus's eye right away, however, was the forty or so students sitting in chairs arranged in a disorganized fashion near the front of the room. Looking among them, he spotted all of his cousins, and many of their housemates. He looked at his brother.

"What is this?"

James winked at him. "This is the Defense Association."

"What - "

"Excellent, you're here. Take a seat, and we'll get started." Albus looked for the speaker, and found Conrad Clearview sitting in the middle of a row of chairs at the front, facing the rest of the group. His feet were up on an ottoman, and he was chewing on a quill as he read a large stack of parchment. It was a sharp contrast from the formal, composed Clearview he had met at Quidditch practice.

He, Rose, and Katie followed James and Fred to a cluster of open seats in the back, and sat down as Clearview began talking again.

"Okay, let's get this going. Second meeting of the Defense Association for the 2017 school year. Treasurer's report?"

A Hufflepuff sixth year next to him spoke up. "We have no money."

"Excellent. Secretary's report?"

A disciplined looking Ravenclaw witch on his other side spoke next. "All students I sent letters to are here."

"Even better news, thank you, Valerie." Albus shared a look with Rose as the identity of V.O. became clear. "Security report?"

To Albus's surprise, James and Fred stood up. "As of five minutes ago, Filch was in the dungeons, and all the professors are far away from here."

Clearview looked at them. "I don't suppose you're going to tell us how you know this, are you?"

"Nope," they responded in unison.

"Okay, then. You have the parchment with the first year new recruits' names on it?"

Fred held up the leaf they had signed.

"Excellent. New recruits up here, everyone else, go to the back and pair off into dueling partners."

Albus turned to his brother, but James was already heading to the back of the room with Fred. He looked at Rose and Katie, shrugged, and approached the front, where Clearview and a few other older students sat. He was surprised to see four other students, second years, also approach.

Clearview looked at them. "Albus I know, Davis I know, the rest of you, I will know eventually. Welcome to the Defense Association - the D.A. for short. Some of you've probably heard your parents talk about the D.A. before."

They nodded. Albus had heard a lot about the D.A. growing up. Neville still liked to flash a trick galleon at get-togethers.

"Of course, in those days, the D.A. was called 'Dumbledore's Army.' There's no real need for an army, now, so this is the Defense Association. We get together once every week or two, practice dueling, learn spells they don't teach you in class, and generally have fun while learning how to kick a dark wizard's arse at the same time. We typically only take second years and above, and only at the recommendation of the older students in your house, but you three," he pointed at Albus, Rose, and Katie. "You're lucky. You get grandfathered in, because your parents were in the original D.A. group. So, congratulations. Now talk to John, here, and he'll get you squared away." Leaving the younger students behind overwhelmed and confused, he stood and walked to the back of the room, where the rest of the group was engaged in various levels of dueling.

One of the other students stood, a seventh year Albus recognized as the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. He grinned at them. "Alright, young'uns. My name is John Cho, and I will be your tour guide this evening. This room we're in right now is called the Room of Requirement. Don't tell anyone about it. In fact, don't tell anyone outside of the D.A. anything about anything that goes on here, or that parchment you signed will do horrible, horrible things to you."

Albus gulped, not sure if he was serious.

"Now, onto the program!" Albus, Rose, and the rest of the first and second years followed him as he walked along the edge of the room, passing various bookcases and display shelves full of peculiar instruments. "We have two main components to what we learn here: Magical and non-magical. Now, you're probably thinking, 'John, you fool, what good will doing something without any magic do in a fight against a dark wizard?' Well, take a look over there at those two, and see!" He pointed to where Rufus Underhill was dueling with a sturdy, black Hufflepuff with a string of beads around his neck. The two wizards drew closer as they fired their spells, until suddenly, the Hufflepuff ducked, swung his leg out, and tripped Rufus. The duel was over a second later, as Rufus found his wand flying out of his hand in his disorientation. "And that, boys and girls, is why we learn Muggle dueling. People don't expect it. That, and it's always fun to watch those two beat each other up."

Albus watched the duelists practice. Jets of light of all different colors and sizes were flying across the room, and his jaw fell open at the speed at which some of the older students were moving. He watched Conrad Clearview move among the students, correcting someone whenever he saw something amiss. Dominique seemed to be making a point of being amiss whenever he was near.

"Dominique, you want to jab and twist your wand with that spell."

"Like this?" Dominique made sure her strawberry blonde hair swished into Conrad's face as she attempted the spell again.

"No, like - here."

Dominique giggled as Clearview took her wand hand and moved it in the proper fashion. Rose rolled her eyes. "She is ridiculous."

"And now, boys and girls, I bring you to the end of your tour with me for this evening. If you have any further questions during the week, ask your House leaders. Albus, Rose, and Davis, that would be Victoire. You, yours is that fellow, you, you've got Ukewembe, and Vincent and Katie, you can come to yours truly." John Cho took an elaborate bow and disappeared into the crowd, leaving the seven first and second years standing alone, feeling very uncertain about what they were supposed to be doing. Help soon came in the form of a spacey-eyed seventh year witch who directed them to a table littered with books, many of which were scrapbooks about the D.A. in years past. Albus opened up a particularly ragged one and came face to face with a snapshot of an early Defense Association. Underneath the picture was a short caption.

_October, 1999 - Association President Dennis Creevey stands in front of the first meeting of the Defense Association, nearly a year and a half after the fall of __You-Know-Who__ Voldemort. As the last member of Dumbledore's Army still at school, Creevey was instrumental in the formation of the organization, designed to train young witches and wizards to be prepared in the event of the rise of another Dark Lord._

Albus stared at the picture. It was indeed Professor Creevey at the front of the group, albeit without his spectacular mustache and cheerful disposition. He looked at the member list underneath, and was not surprised to see no one indicated as a Slytherin. Looking around the room, he had seen a few, but not as many as were represented from the other Houses. He and Rose became immersed in the scrapbooks, and before they knew it, Clearview was blowing a whistle. Albus tore himself away from a picture of a very young Victoire attempting to hex Teddy Lupin to listen to what he was saying.

"Alright, everyone, good work. I'll let you all know when the next meeting will be. Be discreet going back to your common rooms!" He came over to the table where the first and second years were seated. "Did John give you your coins? No, of course not." He pulled several Galleons out of his pocket. "Here. They change with the date and time of the next meeting. And remember, don't tell anybody, or - "

"'Horrible, horrible things,'" Rose echoed faintly.

Conrad smiled at them.

Albus and Rose took their time getting back to Gryffindor Tower, talking in hushed tones about the meeting. As they passed through the portrait hole, an irritated voice interrupted their discussion. "Where have you been? It doesn't take that long to send a letter!" Olivia was annoyed, and a quick glance in her direction explained it. Guy Sheppard had taken it upon himself to situate himself next to her and Ewan, and had, undoubtedly, been pestering them as they tried to do homework.

"Er - "

"We ran into each other, got hungry, and decided to try to find the kitchens." Albus was impressed at Rose's ability to cook up a story under duress.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Did you at least bring something back for us?"

"We couldn't find it. Asked a ghost and everything. What're you up to?"

"Trying to figure out how much eucalyptus root to put in a Cooling Potion. We have different opinions." Ewan smirked at Albus and Rose.

His remark passed right over Guy's head. "You don't put eucalyptus root in a Cooling Potion, that wouldn't work at all! Can't you read?"

"Well, fine, hot-shot, you read the book, then."

Albus and Rose settled in around the table. Their teachers were not going easy on them in terms of homework. As Albus wrote an essay on Muggle computers for Professor Creevey, he couldn't help but think back to the picture of him as a young man, in front of the first meeting of the resurrected D.A.. While most of the other students were smiling in the picture, Dennis Creevey had appeared mournful. His eyes didn't have the spark that Albus knew from class, and he looked as though he was bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders. Albus shook his head. He hoped he would never look like that.


	12. The Sorting Hat

**Chapter 12**

**The Sorting Hat**

* * *

"Why won't you tell us?"

"Because it's none of your business!"

"You disappear once a week and insist you're going to extra Transfiguration lessons, but you're not, are you? I saw Moorehead walking out the front gate yesterday when you were supposed to be with her!"

"We finished early."

"You had just left!"

"Why do you care so much? You're not harassing Albus and Rose about where they keep disappearing off to!"

Olivia's last declaration stopped Ewan's badgering of her, and redirected it towards Albus and Rose. "That's a good point. Where do _you_ two keep going off to?"

"Quidditch practice," said Albus.

"Am I not allowed to try to find a peaceful place to read?" Rose looked indignant. Albus knew it was just for show, though. They were having increasing difficulty keeping their D.A. membership a secret from their friends. Albus would much rather have told them about it right away, but the promise of horrible, horrible things held his tongue. They were aided, however, by the fact that Olivia had begun making a habit of mysteriously disappearing once every week or so. While they were curious, Albus and Rose knew that they should keep their mouths shut if they didn't want to be asked about their own wanderings. This all left Ewan very annoyed, as he often found himself alone in the common room, only to be ambushed by Guy Sheppard.

A more pressing matter on Rose's mind, however, had been the issue of the Sorting Hat. She and Olivia were still ganging up on Albus and Ewan, who were having none of it. Albus still hadn't told them of his fears that he was supposed to be in Slytherin, even though part of him knew that it would be difficult to reorder the Houses, now that they were so far into the school year.

Indeed, Halloween was only a week away; Albus couldn't believe how fast time was flying. The first Quidditch match of the season was only a week and a half away, and although Albus knew he wouldn't be playing, his stomach knotted thinking about it. They had caught a glimpse of the Slytherin team practicing, and they looked very skillful, very determined, and very large. They didn't have anyone under fourth year starting, although they did have two first years on their reserve squad. Albus had been most displeased to see not only Scorpius Malfoy as the reserve Seeker, but also Mordecai Crank as the reserve Chaser.

"I give up." Ewan shook his head.

"Good," said Olivia, never looking up from her copy of _Empedocles - Brainiac, Buffoon, or Both?_

"So, when are we going to go talk to the Sorting Hat?" Rose asked, looking at Albus.

Albus didn't look up.

"Do we even know where it is?" Olivia asked.

"It's probably in Button's office," Rose responded. "But I doubt he'd just let us in there."

"Why not? If we told him the Hat said it wanted to talk to you - "

"Would you believe that? And even if you did, wouldn't you want to know what it had to say?"

"What's wrong with telling him that it put students in the wrong Houses?" Olivia protested. "If it helps get them where they're supposed to be, then that's a good thing, isn't it?"

Rose was silent.

Albus finally looked up. "Maybe they're happy where they are, and don't want to have to change in the middle of the school year."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "What, you think it's _you?_ Albus, you're as far from a Slytherin as is possible."

Albus was startled. _Was I that obvious?_ He stared at her for a moment, then decided to come clean. "The Hat kept telling me I should go there. It said I would do well there."

They were silent for a moment, then Rose spoke. "You're a Gryffindor, Albus. We've known each other forever; trust me: You belong here."

Albus remained unconvinced, giving Rose a doubtful look.

"We still shouldn't tell anyone," Ewan said, breaking the silence. "There's really no need. The first week or two was rough, but since then, there haven't been very many problems within the Houses. Well, within Gryffindor House, at least. I mean, sure, there's problems between the Houses, but I think everybody in Gryffindor has done a good job of coming together to get mad at the other Houses as a team."

"You just spent half an hour going on about how Guy's been bugging you!" Olivia protested.

"Well, yeah, but there's still no real problem, he's just... annoying."

They sat in silence for a moment. "How are we going to get into the Headmaster's office, then?" Albus asked. "It's got a password, doesn't it?"

Rose straightened up. "We're going to have to tail Professor Button."

* * *

And tail Professor Button they did. Or, rather, attempted to do. The man barely showed his face aside from meals. Albus couldn't help but notice that when they did see him, he looked awful. Beats of sweat always sat on his balding scalp, and his pasty skin had already developed more wrinkles than had been there at the beginning of the year. Button was not an exceptionally old man - Albus would've placed him in his mid-sixties - but his hair was turning white, and the stress of the job was clearly wearing on him.

Albus realized he didn't know much about what the daily routine of the Head of Hogwarts entailed, but one thing was clear: Bernard Button was not cut out for it. Announcements in the Great Hall were nearly always carried out by either Professor Flitwick or Professor Moorehead. When teachers required action on an issue, such as when Laramie Fox managed to burn a hole through the dungeon floor and reveal an enormous, foul smelling cavern underneath, they deferred to Flitwick.

It came as a great surprise, then, when Professor Button turned out to be a very difficult person to follow. He was constantly looking over his shoulder, as though he feared someone were trying to sneak up on him. The first time it had happened, Albus and Ewan had nearly jumped out of their skins. Fortunately, Button had just stammered an apology and hurried on, but they were too startled to pursue him. It was Rose who finally, nearly a week later, came up to them in the common room, looking very proud of herself.

"I got it."

"What? How?"

"I waited outside his office for him. Ever hear of hiding in plain sight? You've seen how jumpy he is, he would've seen someone trying to hide while he gave the password. But he never suspected a little first year, hoping he would know where Professor Creevey was, because she was late with her homework, and was so worried - "

"You're a little sneak!" Albus was impressed.

Rose shrugged. "He informed me that, unfortunately, he had no idea where Professor Creevey might be, told me to run along, and then, with an oh-so-casual _'Nadine,'_ opened up the entrance to his office."

"Who's Nadine?" Olivia asked.

Rose shrugged. "His sister? Maybe an old girlfriend? I don't know." She leaned in, getting a very un-Rose like grin on her face. "What I do know, though, is that now, we can finally get in and see the Sorting Hat."

"When?" Ewan asked. "When do we know that he won't be in there?"

"Tomorrow at dinner," Rose said. "It's Halloween, he'll be at the feast for hours, and so will everyone else. It's the perfect chance."

Albus swallowed. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear what the Hat had to say, but he was willing to pluck up some courage and do it anyway. _It's what a Gryffindor would do._

* * *

"_Nadine,_" Rose whispered to the statue. The great stone gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside, revealing a stone spiral staircase. "Let's go."

They hurried up the steps. It had been easy enough to get to the Head's office without being spotted: Everyone in the entire castle was at the Halloween feast, eating all sorts of delicious foods and being entertained by the ghosts' rendition of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Nearly Headless Nick insisted on playing the part of the Headless Horseman). Albus wasn't happy to be missing the festivities, but had grudgingly accepted that this was something that had to be done.

Rose pushed the door at the top of the stairs open, revealing a large, circular room, mostly barren but for a desk, a few chairs, and numerous portraits all around the room. Albus froze. They hadn't thought about the portraits. Would they tell Button they had been in his office? Fortunately, the paintings' occupants all appeared to be either sleeping, or elsewhere.

"Where is it?" Ewan whispered.

They looked around the room, finally finding the Hat on a shelf directly over the door. Ewan, the tallest of them, had to jump to reach it, but they eventually got it down. He set it on the desk and they crowded around, staring at it.

"Er - What do we do now?" he asked.

The Hat remained still in exactly the way an enchanted hat should not.

"Hello?" Rose asked.

That Hat still didn't move.

"Maybe we have to put it on," Olivia suggested.

"Maybe," Rose said, but none of them moved to put it on.

"Well - go on," Albus said to Rose.

She blanched. "Me?"

"You're the one who's been dead set on getting in here and talking to it, you put it on!"

She stared at the Hat for a moment more, then picked it up and placed it gingerly on her head. They all jumped as the Hat sprang into life, the brim fluttering and the tip curling.

Rose sat with her eyes closed for a moment. Albus swore he could hear whispering. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "It wants to talk to you."

Albus blinked. "Me?"

Rose handed Albus the Hat, miffed. Albus gave Rose a hesitant look, but placed the hat on his head.

"Hello, Albus Potter."

_Er. Hello._

"How is your school year going?"

_...It's going fine. Can we get down to business? We don't have a lot of time._

"As you wish. I suppose you want to know why I put some students in the wrong House."

_Well, yeah. That's why we broke into the Headmaster's office. That, and you asked that we talk again at the Sorting. _Albus was growing impatient with the Hat's ambiguous nature.

The Hat obviously sensed his impatience, and chuckled. "I'm not the ambiguous one here," it said.

_What are you talking about?_

"You ask, but you don't truly want to know. You're afraid of what might happen if you find out you're in the wrong House. You, Albus Potter, are a scared little boy."

Albus whipped the hat off his head and threw it on the desk, glaring at it. The others stared at him in shock.

"What happened?" Ewan asked.

Albus stared at it for a moment longer. "It's like a mirror," he finally said.

There was a brief silence. "What?" Rose asked.

"It's a mirror," Albus repeated. He looked at Rose. "How did it sound when it talked to you? Was it... I don't know, harsh? Intelligent sounding? A bucket of laughs? How did it talk?"

Rose considered for a moment, thoroughly confused. "I - I don't know. Intelligent, I suppose? More... informative, I would say. It didn't waste much time."

"What about you?" Albus turned to Olivia.

"It got aggressive with me. It told me - " She paused, looking embarrassed. "Well, it was mean. I was getting impatient, and it got rude with me."

"And you?" He asked Ewan.

"It - wasn't really aggressive, exactly - it was more..." He trailed off, looking confused.

"It got smart with you?" Albus offered.

"Yeah."

"Don't you guys see? The Hat doesn't just look at what's inside you, it _shows_ you what's inside." He turned back to the Hat, which was once again sitting perfectly still.

"Al, this doesn't help us figure out who's in the wrong House, or why,"

Albus was thinking. "How do we know it actually did? How do we know it wasn't just showing us our own doubts - "

"Oh, but I did, Albus Potter." The Hat suddenly spoke, making them all jump. A low whisper of a voice much different from the one Albus was familiar with slithered out from a tear near the brim. "At this very moment, there are four students in a House they don't belong in. Do you want to know why?"

Albus was silent, but Rose spoke up in his place. "Yes! Why did you do that?"

The Hat paused a moment before speaking. "Great danger is coming to Hogwarts this year." Albus felt a chill run down his spine. "Trouble looms, and those four students are the only ones who can prevent great tragedy." At that moment, Albus could have swore his heart stopped beating. A terrible image appeared in his head: Four small figures standing in the doors to the entrance hall at night, black fog swirling around them.

"What do you mean?" Rose asked breathlessly.

The Hat was silent.

"Why are you telling us this?" Ewan asked.

The tip of the Hat curled. "While those four students can prevent great tragedy, it will not be enough. The school may fall, and the Wizarding world may not be far behind."

The room was silent.

"Why tell _us_ this? Why not somebody who can do something about it? What are we supposed to do?" Olivia voiced the frustration and confusion they all felt. "And how do you know all this, anyway?"

Albus could have sworn he saw the Hat shudder. It spoke a moment later. "Powerful magic wove the spell that has given me life all these years. However, like all good things, it is wearing off, and the staff know it. I have already spoken with the Headmaster, but it has fallen on deaf ears. The mad ramblings of a Hat that has seen better days."

"Then why tell us? How do you know we believe you?" Albus finally spoke.

"Do you?"

Albus was surprised to find that he believed every word the Hat had said. He nodded. "Yes."

A noise Albus could only describe as a pained moan escaped the Hat. "Youth is a wonderful thing. Embrace it while you can."

"You didn't answer my last question," Olivia said. "How do you know all this?"

The Hat remained silent, and Albus was briefly worried it was finished speaking. Instead, it addressed him. "Do you know, Albus Potter, why the Dark Lord tried to kill your father?"

Albus nodded. It was in every history book printed in the last twenty years. "A prophecy. There was a prophecy saying - wait, are you saying there was a prophecy saying there was going to be 'great tragedy?'"

The low hiss escaped the Hat again. "Perhaps. And perhaps that is why I chose you, Albus Potter, and you, Rose Weasley, to share this information with. You have a far more intimate understanding of what this means - far greater than any of your classmates could have. Far greater than even _you_ know."

Albus stared at the Hat. "But why did they have to be in the wrong Houses? Why couldn't they have been in the Houses they were supposed to have been in?"

He received no answer.

"Hello?" He poked the Hat, but it remained silent.

They stared at it for a moment longer. "Al, I think it's done talking," Rose said. "We need to get out of here before we get caught."

Albus wasn't going to be persuaded so easily. "HEY!" He grabbed the Hat and shook it.

"Al!"

The Hat sputtered back to life. "I say, why are you manhandling me like this? Who is this? Where is Professor Dippet?"

Albus scowled. _Coming undone, indeed._

"Al, put it back, it's gone."

A squeaky voice broke through the Hat's protesting, seeming to come from the walls around them. "All students, report back to your dormitories immediately." It was Professor Flitwick, and he sounded worried. Albus looked at the others, panicked.

"Go!"

They sprinted for the door, Albus tossing the Hat back onto the shelf as they went.

* * *

"Weasley, Rose!"

Rose stepped out of the line, trying to quell her nerves. _It's okay. You can do this. It's just a hat, and you know your parents will be okay with you no matter where you go._

She put the Hat on and sat down on the stool. A small voice in her ear made her jump. "Hmm, interesting, interesting. A lot of potential here, that is for sure. It's rare to find someone who could excel in so many different areas."

Rose couldn't help but smile.

"No need to be shy about it, dear, you know you're skilled. You will do well no matter where you go, no question about it."

Rose was silently hoping for Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor _would_ make sense. Your family has always been successful there, and Gryffindor has been successful because of them in return. Gryffindor it is, then!"

Rose waited patiently for the Hat to make its announcement, but it never came.

_Well?_ She thought.

"There is one more thing," the Hat said, its voice getting low. "You will need to come find me, so we can speak again."

_What?_ She was confused.

"I said, you _must_ come see me. It is of dire importance that you do so. We don't have time to discuss it here. Some of your classmates have been placed in the wrong House."

_What? Why would you do that? That can ruin their whole -_

"See me later. GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

"Greenwood, Ewan!"

Ewan had but a few butterflies on his stomach as he put the Hat on his head. He had no expectations to meet, no parent to impress by getting Sorted into the House they wanted - he had no pressure. No outside pressure, at least. He knew the people he had met on the train were going to end up in Gryffindor - one of them already was. Friends were a rare commodity where he was from, and he had grown rather fond of Albus, Rose, and Olivia. Gryffindor also appealed to him for... other reasons.

"Ah, interesting... there are some... qualities... in here I haven't seen before... at least, not in a while."

Ewan stared straight ahead, silently hoping for Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor, hmm? Why Gryffindor?"

_You can hear what I'm thinking?_

"Obviously," the Hat scoffed. "Ah, _that's_ why you want to be in Gryffindor..."

Ewan swallowed hard, as the Hat was clearly now looking at memories he had tried very hard over the years not to think about.

"Secrets seem to be in vogue this year... You should know: Secrets have a nasty habit of coming out when you least expect them to do so. You can't keep them hidden away for ever."

Ewan felt a muscle twitch above his lip in a sudden surge of anger. _I can try, can't I? Now get on with it and place me, you old rag._

The Hat was silent for a moment. "GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

"Ellis, Olivia!"

Olivia stepped forward, her face showing nothing but confidence, while her insides twisted with worry. She sat down on the stool and jammed the hat onto her head.

"Easy on the fabric, princess, I'm old!" an irritated voice snapped in her ear.

She thought vaguely that if she could apologize, she probably wouldn't, since the Hat had been so rude about it.

"You wouldn't, eh? A stubborn one, we have!"

She realized with a sudden jolt that the Hat could hear everything she was thinking.

"Very good, didn't take you as long to figure it out as I thought it would."

Olivia decided she didn't like the Sorting Hat very much.

"I don't like you either. Ooh, careful, don't get angry! Don't want to do something you might not mean to!"

Olivia mentally scoffed. _The most I could do is probably throw you across the room._

"Still, you ought to get that under control. You're gifted, and need to learn how to use that gift. What would the other students think of you if they saw you... angry? Better calm down... GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

Neville Longbottom surveyed the Gryffindor table as Nearly Headless Nick chased after the Fat Friar, his head poorly hidden next to the pumpkin resting on his shoulders. His godson was not there. Looking closer, he noticed that neither were Rose, Olivia, or Ewan. He frowned. Knowing Albus's and Rose's parents as he did, he figured an absence from a feast was probably not a good thing. His thoughts were interrupted as to his left, Flitwick erupted with a loud peal of laughter at the play's conclusion.

Button, who had arrived to the feast several minutes late, was about to stand to make a rare announcement when Filch came hobbling in from the side door to the Headmaster's side. Neville was close enough that he could hear part of what he was saying, and knew instantly that the news was not good. "...found them outside, near the... ...out cold, but they're breathing..." Button turned pale, and quickly stood up.

"Clarianna, Neville, Poppy, come with me."

Neville, Caydarah, and Madam Pomfrey hurried alongside Button as he followed Filch out of the Great Hall. There in the entrance hall, two small forms lay unconscious on the floor. Madam Pomfrey rushed to them. "You dumped them on the floor?" she demanded of Filch.

"Well, what was I supposed to do, conjure a bed?" the Squib scoffed.

She conjured a pair of stretchers. "Help me get them on here," she said to Filch.

"What happened?" Neville asked, insides twisting.

"Filch said he found them outside the castle walls. It looks like they've been Stunned," Button replied, wringing his hands nervously.

As Madam Pomfrey levitated the two students past, Neville got his first look at their faces. _Stunned is just the beginning,_ he thought. There was a large burn across Guy Sheppard's cheek and Laramie Fox had several welts shining on his face. "Somebody attacked them. Students who have only been learning magic for two months can't do this to each other." His stomach dropped as he remembered that he had not seen Albus and company at dinner. He turned to Button. "Professor, we need make an announcement for students to return to their Houses. There could be some not at the feast, and they could be in danger."

Buttons' face was white. "Yes... yes, of course, er - "

"I'll tell Flitwick to make the announcement," Clarianna said, rushing back into the Hall.

"Tell the ghosts to sweep the grounds!" Neville called after her. He ran to the staircase.

"Where are you going?" Button called after him. He didn't answer. Neville wasn't entirely sure where he was going, but he knew he had to find Albus, Rose, Ewan, and Olivia. Even if they were okay, he had to be able to account for their whereabouts. After the incident with Malfoy...

The night Malfoy had been attacked, Hagrid had sworn that Albus had been with him the entire evening, and could not have possibly had time to set up a trap for Malfoy. He had told Malfoy this, but the boy was having no parts of it; he still firmly believed it had been Albus who attacked him, and had wasted no time in telling the rest of the first year Slytherins.

He sprinted up seven flights of stairs, impressing himself (although he was covered in sweat by the time he got there). _If I can get to the Astronomy tower, I can see the whole of the grounds, maybe they're out - what?_ He rounded a corner near the Headmaster's office and saw the last thing he had expected - Albus exiting Button's office, Rose, Ewan and Olivia right behind him. They started running down the hall away from where he was, towards Gryffindor Tower.

He stepped out from behind the corner. "Stop right there!"

The four students skidded to a halt and spun around. Neville could see the panic in their eyes as the color drained from their faces. He looked between them.

"Come with me. Now."

* * *

_Author's Note!_

_Hi._

_My sincere apologies for the delay in getting these past few chapters up. I've been engaged in a fierce battle with life lately, and, frankly, life has been winning. That's still not a very good excuse, though (for reasons that will become clear momentarily)._

_A few things I thought I'd offer my thoughts on, now that we're around the halfway point in this story (believe it or not):  
_

_1 - Characters. There's a lot of them. I know there's a lot of them. But fear not - nearly everyone introduced so far has a role to play._

_2 - Reviews. I like reviews. I like constructive reviews. I also like bubbly reviews that don't offer anything other than "I LOVE IT!" I even like flaming reviews that don't offer anything other than "U R STOREY SUX," though I usually only like those because I like to laugh at dumb people (on a side note, I think I saw that very review on one of Inverarity's stories, which is simply ridiculous). So, give me your thoughts, even if you have nothing polite to say! My thanks to those of you who have been reviewing - keep it u!  
_

_3 - Grammatical/Dialogue/Whatever Errors - I've made quite a few of them. I know. I'll be going back and fixing them over the next few weeks. They're a result of me being excited and wanting to get the story up as soon as possible. I try not to sacrifice quality for time or convenience, but sometimes, I get impatient and make dumb mistakes. Still, this is not a very good excuse (again, for reasons that will become clear momentarily)._

_Now, some good news (now is "momentarily," for those following the parentheticals): The story is finished. Actually, the story has been finished since before I started posting it. I wanted to make sure I knew where I was going with it from the beginning. I've been doing some mild revising (obviously not enough...) before posting each chapter, but, yeah, it's complete. So, the whole story clocks in at 23 chapters plus a short "epilogue" of sorts, and I'm currently in the middle of writing Chapter 4 of the sequel. Yeah! Exciting!_

_Some bad news: Actually, there's no bad news. I just felt like I needed balance, since I started the last line talking about good news._

_If you have questions, go ahead and ask them in the reviews. Thanks again and in advance._

_Wishing many happy adventures to all of you,_

_S  
_


	13. Gryffindor vs Slytherin

**Chapter 13**

**Gryffindor vs. Slytherin**

* * *

Albus sat on the cold floor of the trophy room, polishing an ancient Award for Special Services to the School. He supposed they had gotten off easy. Three days of detention was a far better fate than expulsion. While he suspected his and Rose's personal connection to Neville had spared them a worse punishment, it had done nothing to help convince Neville that the Sorting Hat had put students in the wrong House. He had insisted that while the Hat's perception of reality was beginning to become undone, its ability to Sort students was as intact as ever. What evidence he had to support this, Albus didn't know, but Neville's mind was set. He had forbidden them to ever come close to the Headmaster's office again, and given them each a round of detention.

While Albus didn't want to think about the possibility that he was in the wrong House, he couldn't understand how Neville could deny the Hat's warning, especially with the recent attacks on Guy Sheppard and Laramie Fox. The two had apparently been commiserating by the greenhouses, having been ostracized by their housemates, when they had been attacked and stunned by persons yet unknown. Albus had been surprised to find Guy in a better mood than usual after the attacks; Albus suspected this was due to the attention and sympathy he was getting for the large burn on his cheek, which had resisted Madam Pomfrey's best attempts to heal it. Neville had given the entire House a lecture on the importance of not being outside after dark, especially for the younger students, and urged anyone with any information to come forward. Rumors had of course swirled, ranging from Peeves the Poltergeist to merpeople, both of which Albus found ridiculous. There were four people Albus had in mind, but of course, he couldn't prove that either the Slair twins or their cronies had anything to do with the attack. He couldn't help the intense feeling of dislike that rose inside him whenever he saw their faces, but he knew it couldn't mean anything good.

Albus frowned as he scrubbed at a scuff that wouldn't come off. Whatever Abigail Puckett had done to deserve a plaque, he wished she hadn't. It was dreadfully dull work, interrupted only by the occasional discovery of a familiar name. He had taken a special pride in buffing up his father's and Uncle Ron's Awards, and smiled when he saw his father, mother, and Aunt Angelina listed on the Quidditch Cup, apparently having Captained their respective squads to victories. He wondered if he was going to see his name in this room before his Hogwarts career was out.

"Not done with that one yet, are you?" Argus Filch stood in the doorway, leaning on a cane. "Better get a move on, or you'll be here all night!" He hobbled away with a horrible cackle.

Albus groaned. He envied the others, two of whom didn't have to interact with Filch in the slightest, and went back to the plaque.

* * *

Rose carefully pressed her wand to where the edge of the parchment met the book binding, and slowly slid her wand down the seam. "Careful, now! Careful!" She rolled her eyes. The librarian was a dotty old man who had been watching her every move for the past three nights.

"Mr. Meddakai, I am being extremely careful. This is the sixth book I've rebound since I've been here, and they've all turned out fine!" She ordinarily wouldn't have dreamed of speaking that way to a teacher, but the librarian was getting on her last nerve.

"No, no, not - not entirely," he stammered. "Remember, last - last night, you sealed pages four hundred and ninety five and four hundred and ninety six of - of _Ancient Wizarding Civilizations of South-Eastern Europe_ upside down. You do remember, don't you?"

"Yes, I remember, but other than that, it was fine." Of course she remembered: Meddakai had gone on for half an hour after she had put the page in wrong, a combination of unintelligible directions and worried muttering to himself. Page four hundred and ninety five was a faded diagram that looked the same no matter which way it lay, and as the pages were unnumbered, she had no idea how the librarian even knew what page number it was.

She knew she should consider herself lucky that she had been assigned to the library rather than to the mercy of Argus Filch, but she was rapidly losing patience with the addled old librarian. She stole a glance out the window, wondering if she could see anything on the grounds in the light of the fading evening sun.

* * *

Olivia glared at the enormous pile of dirt in front of her. It stood as tall as she did, and was twice as wide as it was tall. It needed to be moved into the hole next to it, at the bottom of which lay something enormous and dead in a thick sack. Hagrid hadn't elaborated on what it was, only that it needed to be buried _very_ deep, and she was to be doing the burying. "Without magic!" He had reminded her, giving her a very stern look. Of course, she had simply waited until he was back in his cabin before trying to bewitch the shovel to do the digging for her. That had lasted about five minutes, until Professor Moorehead had seen her from her window, come outside, and confiscated her wand.

"You're supposed to be learning something from detention!" she had said sternly.

"Well, I've learned how to enchant a shovel, isn't that something?" Olivia had replied.

Olivia now had an extra day of detention.

She sighed, dug the shovel into the dirt, and shivered. The cool November air was not where she wanted to be. She stole a look around. Twilight had fallen, and she highly doubted anyone would be able to see her now. Unfortunately, she was wandless.

But she had an idea. She looked around again. She didn't like taking advantage of Hagrid's trust in leaving her alone - but she liked being cold even less. Confident that no one could see her through the darkness, she grinned at the dirt pile.

* * *

Ewan tipped his shoe upside down, draining the water out of it and cursing his lack of attention. He had been in the middle of mopping the entrance hall when he had stepped backwards - right into the bucket of dirty mop water. Unfortunately, Filch had seen the whole thing, and laughed like a madman at the sight. Ewan pulled out his wand and tried to dry his wand using the charm they had learned just the day prior. Unfortunately, this only resulted in setting his shoe on fire.

"Ahh!" he shouted, and did the first thing that came to mind and threw his shoe back into the bucket of water. He wasn't the best at wandwork - fortunately, he made up for it with his skill in Potions and Herbology. Swearing, he pulled his once again sopping wet shoe out of the bucket.

"Let me help you with that." He looked up and saw a older man with a worn face wearing the scarlet robes of an Auror approaching. He tried to hide his surprise.

"Er - sure." The man tapped his shoe gently with his wand, and it was suddenly as dry as it had been before the whole fiasco had begun. "Thanks!" He pulled the shoe back on, and the Auror carried on, but not before giving him a curious look.

"Arcturas! What brings you out here?" Ewan looked up, and saw Professor Flitwick greeting the Auror with a smile.

"Button didn't tell you? He sent an owl a few hours ago, requesting an urgent meeting."

Ewan looked up as he mopped and caught a glimpse of a confused Flitwick.

"No, he didn't - but why now? There haven't been any more attacks..." He motioned for Arcturas the Auror to follow him, and disappeared through a side door.

Ewan continued mopping at breakneck speed, desperate to finish and get back to Gryffindor Tower, thinking bitter thoughts about Filch the whole time. He only stopped when Olivia strode through the front doors, completely covered in dirt, but with an enormous smile on her face.

"Still mopping, are you?" She grinned at him. "See you when you get done - probably midnight!"

He glared at her as she ran up the steps. "It'll be midnight now you've tracked dirt all over the place!"

* * *

Saturday, November 11th awoke with a roar. Albus nearly fell out of his bed at the first clap of thunder. As he looked out the window and groaned, Sebastian offered a gloomy analysis.

"I'd hate to have to play Quidditch in this."

Two hours later, Albus sat with the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in the locker room, listening to a combination of rain and footsteps thundering on the stands above. Conrad Clearview came out of the Captain's office, apparently brimming with confidence, though Albus thought he looked a little paler than usual.

"I'll make this short. We all know what we have to do. Let's go do it."

The rest of the team followed Conrad out to the pitch. The Slytherin team was already out on the pitch warming up, putting on an impressive show of zooming around the pitch in the rain at breakneck speeds. Albus caught a glimpse of Malfoy and Crank flying side-by-side.

"Alright, reserves, on the bench," Conrad pointed to a small shelter at the very top of the stands, separated from the rest of the crowd. "The rest of you, let's try to act classy. Don't go showing off like these clowns."

High up on the bench (and mercifully sheltered from the rain), Albus watched the starters for both teams move into position to begin the game. Conrad shook hands with the Slytherin Captain, a seventh year resembling a mountain troll who held an unusually thick Beater's bat in one hand while attempting to crush the Seeker's hand with the other.

"Especially tricky conditions today with the rain. It will make both visibility and grip difficult tasks. Madam Hooch releases the Snitch, the Bludgers are waiting... And they're off!" A sixth year Hufflepuff Albus recognized as the treasurer for the D.A. was doing the commentating. "Slytherin gets possession of the Quaffle first, and it's Saxton with the Quaffle. He passes to Oliver, who dodges a Bludger sent by Underhill of Gryffindor, and drops the Quaffle down to Murron waiting below. Murron speeds down the pitch - Murron, leaving the Gryffindor team in the dust, it's just him and the Keeper - and Bendt saves it!"

Albus watched Wendy Bendt smile and shake her head at the Slytherin Chaser before slinging the Quaffle to her teammates. "Fremont with the Quaffle, Slytherin Chasers surrounding her, hurls the Quaffle to Potter, who quickly dumps it off to Wise. Wise now with the Quaffle, heading down the pitch as fast as she can while surrounded by Slytherins and Bludgers."

Albus watched Conrad circling high above the match, his sharp eyes scanning the rainy pitch for the Snitch. The Slytherin Seeker was tailing him, practically gluing herself to the end of his broom.

"Fremont with the Quaffle again, shoots - and blocked, Felcher with the excellent save. Game is still tied at 0." Five minutes later, both teams still had yet to score. "Saxton with the Quaffle, ducks around Wise, dodges a Bludger, and passes to Oliver. Oliver tries to get clear, Potter coming in to defend - ooh, that's going to be a penalty..."

Indeed, Madam Hooch's whistle blew, awarding a penalty to Slytherin. James had, in a frustrated attempt to jar the Quaffle loose, flown straight into the Slytherin Chaser Oliver. Albus watched Conrad make a "what were you thinking?" gesture in James's direction as Oliver lined up to take the shot.

"First penalty shot of the game, this will be a tricky shot to block, especially with the rain. Bendt is an excellent Keeper, of course, but Oliver is also an excellent Chaser - ah..." Next to Albus on the bench, Hannah Warborough swore as the Quaffle slipped through Wendy's hands and through the left ring. "The first points of the game go to Slytherin, 10-0..."

The weather got worse, and the game followed suit. Shaken by his first penalty, James was unable to focus and was soon flagged for cobbing, and the score became 20-0. Not long after, a well-aimed Bludger knocked the Quaffle out from under his arm, and Murron flew it in for an easy score. More unsettled than ever, James's play became more and more erratic, culminating in passing the Quaffle to a beckoning Edward Saxton, who sneered and punched it in for another easy score. Worse than that, his play was causing the rest of the team to lose focus. Even Wendy Bendt screamed a few choice words at him, her usual motherly demeanor vanished as though by a spell.

"Oh, I hope they don't want me to go in for him. I wasn't planning on playing today; I ate way too much for breakfast," Hannah fretted, as the score became 70-0. But the Gryffindor team seemed to have a different strategy: Keep the Quaffle away from James.

"And it's a shutout so far, as Wise takes the Quaffle. She passes to Fremont, who dodges a Bludger sent by Quincy, another one sent by Hefferton, and passes it back to Wise. Wise dodges Quincy and Hefferton themselves, before nearly losing the Quaffle to Saxton. She passes quickly to Fremont, who's in the scoring area, she shoots - SCORE! 70-10, Slytherin - wait, this might be coming back..."

And it was. James, desperate to redeem himself, had rushed forward and drawn a penalty for stooging - having more than one player in the scoring area. Slytherin resumed control of the Quaffle, and Albus winced as Conrad flew down to berate James, rain water flying off his face as he screamed. "Murron with the Quaffle, ducks a Bludger sent by Weasley - And Barton's seen the Snitch!" Conrad's head wheeled around just in time to see the Slytherin Seeker go into a dive, streaking towards the ground at breakneck speed. He quickly gave chase, but Albus couldn't see what Barton was diving for... "Barton, after the Snitch, with Clearview in pursuit... Where is it?" Barton suddenly pulled out of the dive, barely a meter above the ground. Conrad, in his frenzied pursuit, barely straightened out in time to avoid a collision. "And it appears to have been a failed attempt at the Wronski Feint... A very clever move by Barton to initiate it while Clearview was distracted, it almost worked... And Clearview's off! He may have actually seen the Snitch this time!" Albus held his breath as Conrad rocketed skyward, where a flicker of gold shone against the stormy backdrop. The Slytherin Seeker followed, but Conrad had too much of a lead. "Clearview's got the Snitch! Gryffindor wins, 150-70!"

The Gryffindor crowd, to this point frustrated, wet, and miserable, came to life with a dull roar. Albus and his fellow reserves leapt onto their brooms and joined the soggy, hugging huddle of brooms slowly making its way to the ground. It wasn't until they got to the locker room that Albus realized the huddle had been one short. James was almost finished changing by the time Albus entered the locker room, excitedly recapping the failed Wronski Feint with the other reserves. He paused in front of James.

"Don't. Just don't say anything." James shoved his wet Quidditch things to the bottom of his locker in a ball, slammed the door so forcefully it sprang open again, and stalked out. Albus shared a look with Fred, who just shrugged and pulled his own drenched robes off. Without saying a word, Hannah hung James's robes up and charmed them dry before attending to her own.

* * *

The weather grew much colder as November faded into December, and all signs pointed to an especially bitter winter. This was fine by Albus, who loved the cold (and especially the accompanying snow); however, his friends were not so motivated.

"I'm not going out there. It's cold and wet and miserable," Olivia said one Saturday in early December. She had, after many attempts, finally gotten a comfortable armchair right next to the Gryffindor fireplace, and was adamant about staying where she was.

"It hasn't even started snowing yet!" Albus protested. He looked to Rose and Ewan for support, to no avail.

"Yes, that's exactly what I want to do, go out into the swamp that has developed around the castle and get these soaked again." Ewan motioned to the shoes that he was attempting to charm dry. Rose was too immersed in her copy of _Hogwarts: A History_ to even notice the argument.

"Fine, we'll just sit in here all day." Albus plopped down on the floor next to Rose, only to stand up a moment later. "I can't do it. I'm bored. Anyone want to go find something to do _inside _the castle?" Rose continued to read her book, and Olivia was now doing a rather poor job of pretending to have dozed off.

"I'll go with you," Ewan said. He looked down at his still soaked trainers. "Nobody's going to mind if I just go barefoot, will they?"

"You might, if you step in some owl droppings or something."

"I'll take my chances," he said. "I need to take a break from this stupid charm or I'm going to go mad." He set his shoes by the fire. "Maybe they'll be dry by the time we get back."

There did not appear to be much to do inside the castle, however. Most of the older students were in Hogsmeade, and the halls were largely deserted. They were about to admit defeat and return to Gryffindor Tower when Ewan stepped on something sharp, and, hopping about in pain, went to lean against a wall and discovered something interesting.

"Albus, there's a door here!"

"What?"

"Here, feel!"

Albus pressed his hand against the wall and felt, instead of the cool stone that was showing, hard wood instead. He shared a look of surprise and intrigue with Ewan.

"How does it open?" He asked.

"How should I know? Use _Alohomora_ on it."

"Why don't you do it?"

"You know how bad I am with a wand. I'd probably set the door on fire, or something."

Albus had heard stories about doors that were cursed to repel the _Alohomora_ spell, and did terrible things to the caster. Nevertheless, hetook his chances, and, checking that nobody was coming, warily pointed his wand at the seemingly blank stretch of wall. "_Alohomora!_" The hidden door swung open, revealing a dark passageway. Albus and Ewan shared a nervous look, but nevertheless lit their wands and ventured in. They received their first unpleasant surprise when the door slammed shut behind them. Ewan discovered the second a moment later.

"There's rats in here!"

"Shh!"

"I'm not going to be quiet, I've got rats crawling over my feet! Can't you hear them?"

Albus could indeed hear a high-pitched squeaking coming from the floor. Rather than inducing panic, however, this reassured him. "If there's rats, that means there's a way out. They had to have gotten in here somehow."

They followed the passageway around a corner, and soon spotted a few cracks of light near the floor and ceiling, indicating another door. Reaching it, Albus pushed, and a pair of slender double doors opened into a room whose main feature was a long table, surrounded by chairs. A multitude of armchairs and cabinets lined the walls, and a generously armed bookshelf sat opposite the doors they had just opened.

"I think... I think we're in the staff room," Albus whispered. They turned to see where they had just exited from, and saw the most decrepit cabinet of the bunch sitting behind them. Both knobs were missing, and a small hole at the bottom of the left door showed where the rats came and went. Ewan reached for the seemingly solid back of the cabinet, and his hand passed right through. A sudden voice from the exterior door of the staff room made them both jump. "Quick, get back in!"

They just managed to shut the doors when the staff room door opened and what sounded like a generous number of people came in.

"As I told you on my last visit, Headmaster, the situation is not dire enough to require an Auror presence at Hogwarts. These attacks sound like an older student with a poor idea of hazing, not somebody out to kill. Didn't you say all the incidents involved first years?"

"Well, yes," came Button's reply. "But they could be just getting started!"

"Bernard, it's been a month since those two boys were jinxed," came Flitwick's squeaky voice. "I tend to agree with Arcturas: It was probably some older students who liked the idea of harassing little kids. Reprehensible, yes, but no need for Aurors."

"We still need to get to the bottom of the matter," Professor Moorehead said. "Fox and Sheppard deserve an explanation, and Scorpius Malfoy is still wholly convinced it was Albus Potter who assaulted him by the forest during the first week of term."

Albus started. _What?_ He had not heard anything about this. He supposed that with this latest news, combined with the events on the Astronomy Tower that first week, he was lucky Malfoy hadn't done something rash to him yet. Next to him, he could tell Ewan was thinking the same thing.

"I understand, Gwendolyn, but that is a matter that needs to be addressed within Hogwarts, by the Hogwarts staff. Headmaster, I'm sorry, but if we start posting Aurors at the school after a few small incidents like these, don't you think that will only create unnecessary fear?"

"I suppose so..." came the reluctant reply from Button.

"Of course. Now, I'm sorry to rush out, but I have an appointment in half an hour with a pair of Moldovan Aurors, and I must be off. If any more events like those we discussed occur, please don't hesitate to let us know, but unless anything more serious happens, there's not much we can do."

"...I understand. Good day, Arcturas."

They heard the door open and several pairs of feet and their owners leaving. Albus chanced a peak through the cabinet door. Button remained, accompanied by Neville, whom Albus had not realized was there.

"Headmaster, maybe we should tell them about the - "

"No." Button snapped the response, his usual airiness gone without a trace.

"But it's happening just as the prophecy said it would!"

"It's only happening that way because _you _showed the prophecy to the Hat. If you hadn't done that, this wouldn't be happening. _You _of all people should understand how prophecies are set in motion."

Albus's jaw dropped. _Neville_ was the one who told the Hat about the prophecy? _Who gave it?..._

Next to him, there was a small squeaking noise, and Ewan jumped slightly. "Albus! There's a rat in here with us!" he whispered.

"Shh!"

"Headmaster, the prophecy didn't say the Sorting would cause the danger, just that it would - "

"I don't want to hear about it!" Button shouted, now breathing heavily.

There was a very pregnant pause.

"The Aurors won't come unless there's a serious attack," Neville said in a low voice.

"I know."

"But we can increase our own security. More nightly prefect and faculty patrols, Secrecy Sensors - Headmaster, I was an Auror. I can make this castle secure enough that you can hear a rat dreaming." Neville was staring at Button, who still looked flustered.

"Mmph!" Ewan jumped and hit his head on the ceiling, making a very audible _thump_. Albus's eyes flew wide, horrorstruck. The last thing they needed was to get caught again by Neville in a place they weren't supposed to be. "The rat bit my foot!" Ewan whispered.

"Quick, get back through!" Albus pulled Ewan through the seemingly solid back of the cabinet. They pressed themselves up against the narrow wall, hardly daring to breathe. Muffled, as though from far away, they heard Button speak.

"Is that boggart still in there? I thought Phinean was going to take care of that."

"I thought he did. Do you want me to - "

"No, no," Button said hastily. "Don't worry about it. Come up with a security plan as soon as possible and show it to me."

"C'mon," Albus said. "Let's get out of here." They hurried back to Gryffindor Tower, Ewan lamenting his wounded foot, to tell Rose and Olivia about what they had heard.

"Button's trying to get Aurors in here?" Rose bit her lip. "He must really be worried."

"Of course he's worried, he's an idiot," Ewan dismissed the idea.

"No, I mean, there really isn't any need to have Aurors, of all people. It's been just a couple of students - although what happened to Malfoy, that's worrying..." She drifted off, lost in thought.

"Hey!" Ewan said suddenly, staring at the fireplace. His shoes, which he had left to dry, were burnt to a crisp. "What happened to my shoes?"

"Fire must've got them," said Olivia.

* * *

November drifted into December with a massive snowstorm that kept all the students inside on a bright Saturday morning. All the students, that is, except for eleven very cold Gryffindor Quidditch players. Conrad insisted on holding one last practice before giving it up for the winter. "C'mon, Fred, you have to swing for the Bludger! Move your arm!" Fred muttered something about his arm breaking off from the cold if he moved it, and flew as far away from Conrad as he could get. "James, that's better, but don't get too close to her, or she might do something to draw a foul. Let the Beaters do the dirty work." James had nearly collided with Haley in an attempt to knock the ball loose. While his play in practice hadn't been nearly as bad as it was in the match against Slytherin, he had been much more subdued. Rather than livening up practices with Fred and Hannah, he was more likely to be seen quietly taking instruction from Conrad or Alexis. He seemed determined to improve his game; however, a few of his teammates had yet to forgive him for his atrocious performance against Slytherin.

Albus was thankful he would only have to extend his arm away from the broomstick whenever he saw the Snitch (which had only been once in the half hour they had been at it). However much he liked the cold weather, everyone has their limits, and Albus had reached his. He had cast a warming charm on his robes before going out, but the charm wasn't doing much for his exposed parts. He wasn't sure he could let go of the broom handle without having to pry his fingers off, and he hadn't been able to feel his nose since the walk to the pitch. He dived down low, hoping he could fly slower beneath everyone, and Conrad wouldn't notice. Rufus Underhill, however, did notice, and aimed a Bludger at him. "Get a move on, Potter!" He cackled and flew off, a scarlet boulder atop a twig. Albus scowled. Along amongst his teammates, Underhill alone seemed to be enjoying the blistering cold.

After another half an hour of practice, Conrad finally conceded defeat and called his team in. "Alright, not a bad last practice. Try to get some flying in over break if you can, and feel free to come down here and fly any time you want during the rest of term. Erm, Wendy, you might want to go to the Hospital Wing when you get back inside, your ears and nose are blue... Albus, do you have the Snitch?" Albus shook his head, although he was shivering so much from the cold that he wasn't sure Conrad would be able to read his response. "Alright, you and I'll stay out here and look for it. That was the last training Snitch, and Madam Hooch'll have my head if we lose it." Albus groaned internally, and the rest of the team (save Underhill) shot him sympathetic looks.

After fifteen minutes of searching, however, their efforts seemed fruitless. "Maybe I should've told the rest of the team to stay and help look for it..." Conrad said.

_He probably would've had a mutiny on his hands if he had._ "It wouldn't be so bad if there weren't snow everywhere. With the sun shining off it, we'll never find the Snitch." Albus tried not to sound hopeful.

"You're probably right," Conrad said, surprising him. "Let's call it and go in. I'll have to face Madam Hooch's wrath."

They flew back up to the castle side by side. Albus couldn't help but hold himself a little higher. He wondered if anyone was watching, and if they were, what they would think of him, flying back to Hogwarts with Conrad Clearview: Quidditch Captain, Prefect, Head Boy, Leader of the D.A.. He glanced at Conrad and was struck by how much older he seemed, despite only a six year difference in their ages.

"There it is!" Conrad suddenly exclaimed, pointing to a spot about a hundred feet ahead of them. "What's it doing all the way out here? It's supposed to be charmed to stay in the stadium!" Indeed, the Golden Snitch was fluttering about the grounds, innocent in its travels. "Alright, let's try and corner it. I'll come from the left, you come from the right. Let's get it quick; it's too cold to stay out here much longer."

Albus flew to his right and crept towards the Snitch, which was hovering about five meters off the ground. He saw Conrad give the signal, and they both charged towards the Snitch, which flew sharply upward. _For crying out loud, I don't have time for this!_

The Snitch eluded them for a few minutes more. "Why don't they have some kind of charm on it, so it comes when you're done practicing?" Albus shouted after a near collision with the ground.

Conrad slapped his forehead. "Of course!" He patted his robes. "I must've left my wand inside. Do you have yours?"

Albus nodded. "Yeah, right here." He reached for the inside pocket of his robes.

"Can you do a Summoning Charm? If not, give it here and I'll - Albus? You alright?"

Albus had suddenly been hit with a wave of the sickening feeling of dread that had preceded the attack the night before school started, and the incident on the Astronomy Tower. "Something's not right," he said, glancing around nervously.

"What do you mean?" Conrad looked deeply concerned, and a little confused.

"We need to go. Forget the Snitch." Albus surprised himself with the authority with which he spoke. He pointed his wand around, eyes twitching at every leaf that fluttered or bird that crossed his field of vision.

"What are you - " Conrad was interrupted by a jet of red light that seemed to burst out of thin air in front of them on the ground. He narrowly dodged the spell, and looking around for the source, yelled out. "Go! Get back to the castle!" He spun his broom around and started towards the castle as fast as the broom would take him. Albus was frozen, powerless to watch as the second jet of red light hit Conrad square in the back, throwing him off his broom and into the snow.

Albus came to his senses, but before he could move towards the castle, another red light came towards him. Moving almost in reflex, he shouted out the incantation for the spell he had learned at the latest D.A. meeting.

"_Protego!_" An invisible shield seemed to deflect the jet of light, giving Albus the time he needed to press himself to his broom and shoot off towards the castle. His heart thumped in his chest, as he wildly considered his next move. He knew he had to get a teacher, but he had no idea where he might find one. He only knew the location of a handful of offices, and teachers were scarce to be seen on weekends. He flew past a row of windows on the third floor, and to his infinitesimal relief, saw Professor Moorehead walking down a deserted corridor, holding a large stack of papers. He panicked again as he realized he wouldn't be able to get to her to explain without going inside. Gritting his teeth, he did the first thing that occurred to him and flew straight towards the largest window, closing his eyes and covering his face with his arm.

With a tremendous crash, he shattered the window and crashed into the wall opposite, knocking the wind out of him. He felt a searing pain in his left shoulder, but had no time to address it. He staggered to his feet and saw Moorehead staring at him, shocked. "Potter! I heard you were a good flyer, what in - "

"Out on the grounds!" He gasped. "Conrad - I - we were attacked! I don't know who, they're invisible - they got him, he's out there! I couldn't - "

"Where?" Moorehead asked, adapting to the situation remarkably well. Albus pointed, still trying to catch his breath.

"Take me there, now!" She drew her wand. Albus started to run towards the nearest staircase.

"No, on your broom! Get back on your broom, and do try not to throw me off," she snapped, climbing on Albus's broom behind him. He kicked off and soared back through the broken window just as Filch rounded the corner, lip curling and jowls quivering. He sped, wand drawn, towards the spot where Conrad lay. He touched down and Moorehead jumped off, waving her wand as she went. A pale golden bubble flew outwards from her as she ran, and a set of footprints was illuminated in darkest green in the snow. "Get back inside, and get to the Hospital Wing!"

Albus remained where he was, however. "What about Conrad?" he asked, ignoring the sharp pain in his shoulder that was getting worse by the second.

"I'm taking care of him, go!" She knelt over the seventh year, rolling him over onto his back. She swore, waved her wand and a large silvery shape flew out of the end of her wand and towards the castle. "Go!"

Albus reluctantly got back on his broom and flew towards the castle, looking back a few times, much to the protest of his injured shoulder. He chose to use the main entrance this time, and was immediately accosted by Filch.

"And where do you think you're going? I'll have you in detention for the rest of the year for that stunt, and your first job'll be cleaning up the mess you made!" Albus tried to protest, but the pain in his shoulder had grown to an unbearable level. He made a few noises vaguely resembling words, and then fell forward into darkness.

* * *

He opened his eyes to see a bright light shining down on him. The panicked thought that he was dead flashed through his mind, before he realized the light was on the end of Madam Pomfrey's wand. She frowned down at him. "How do you feel?"

Albus groaned. "Like I flew into a wall."

"Well, that's to be expected." She lowered her wand and reached for a potion on his bedside table. "Did you not think to simply tap on the window to get Professor Moorehead's attention, as opposed to showing her your best Bludger impersonation?" she asked as she tipped a bright green potion down his throat.

Albus coughed as the potion burned his still cold throat. He couldn't have been unconscious very long. "Er. No, I can't say I did."

Madam Pomfrey tutted as she bustled away to the next bed. Albus's gaze followed her, and saw, to his relief, Conrad Clearview lying on the bed, unconscious.

The door to the Hospital Wing burst open, and Moorehead, Flitwick, and Caydarah came in. Madam Pomfrey opened her mouth to protest, but Flitwick raised a hand. "I understand, Poppy, but I'm afraid we need to hear what happened." Madam Pomfrey gave him a dirty look, but returned to her office, muttering under her breath.

"Potter, I understand that you must be in a considerable amount of pain, but we need you to tell us what happened, immediately." Flitwick's voice seemed less squeaky and more grave, very out of character for him.

Albus recounted his tale as best he could. His shoulder continued to throb, but seemed to be easing off. When he finished, the three teachers exchanged worried looks. "I'll send an owl to the Headmaster at the Ministry," Flitwick said, hurrying off.

"And you didn't see anyone?" Caydarah asked, her young face streaked with worry.

"Nobody. He might've had an Invisibility Cloak," Albus offered.

"Or a Disillusionment Charm," Caydarah said, eyes drifting away in thought.

"Either way," Moorehead said, getting to her feet.. "We have a very serious problem here."

The two teachers exchanged somber looks before leaving.

Madam Pomfrey quickly returned with a sleep potion. "Is he going to be okay?" Albus asked, motioning towards Conrad.

"He'll be fine," Madam Pomfrey said. "It was only a Stunner; unfortunately, he took it straight to the spine. He'll be out for another few hours. You, on the other hand, have a fractured collarbone and a separated shoulder! You need to get some sleep and let the potion do its job." And she pushed him back onto his pillows, forcing the sleep potion down his throat as he went.

When Albus woke, the room was dark, as were the windows. He had no idea what time it was, and there was no sign of life in the hospital wing other than Conrad, still unconscious on the bed next to his. He lay back on his bed, wishing he had something to eat. He had only had a light breakfast, and his stomach rumbled. With nothing edible to occupy his interests, his mind began searching for an explanation for the day's events. After an hour of thought, there was one theory that kept coming back to the foreground - but it was so far-fetched that he dismissed it every time.

A sudden creak from the direction of the door to the hall snapped him out of his thoughts. He reached for his wand on the bedside table and remained as still as possible.

"Where is he?" a voice whispered.

"How should I know, it's pitch black!"

"Shh!"

"You could light your wand, you know."

Albus sat up suddenly, recognizing the voices. "Lumos," he said, and the three people in front of him jumped.

"Al!" Rose cried, rushing towards him. "Are you okay? Somebody said you and Clearview were attacked at Quidditch, but James said nothing had happened, and we were trying to get in here all day, but Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us in, and - "

"I'm okay," Albus cut across her. "Just a little banged up, is all."

"Did you really fly through a window?" Ewan smirked. "I saw Filch plucking glass out of that tapestry of the Warlock of Agrigentum, and neither one of them looked pleased."

Albus recounted his story in a hushed voice, and when he finished, the other three were silent.

"Wow," murmured Rose. "That could've been..." she trailed off, looking at Albus with scared eyes.

"...a lot worse," Olivia finished.

"Who could it have been?" Ewan asked. "Was it a student, or someone from off the grounds?"

Albus bit his lip, then started to voice the theory that had been lingering in his mind for the previous hour. "I've been thinking..." he started, then paused.

"What?" Rose asked.

"What do you mean, 'what?' He was very clear: he's been thinking."

Rose and Olivia both shushed Ewan.

Albus decided to throw caution to the wind and let it out. "When we heard Button talking to that Auror... he said the Ministry wouldn't be able to send Aurors unless there was a serious attack, something more than what looked like a couple hazed first years."

Rose sat back, realizing where Albus was going with this.

"Button sounded pretty desperate to get the Aurors here. And I know he had nothing to do with those other attacks, but... what if..." he paused again. "What if Button attacked us today?"


	14. Revelations, Part I

**Chapter 14**

**Revelations, Part I**

* * *

The last two weeks of term rushed by in a flurry of late homeworks, a final D.A. meeting, and another heavy helping of snow on the grounds, bringing it to a point where venturing outside was a dangerous activity. Indeed, tiny Daphne Akers had to be equipped with snowshoes just to make it to Herbology. Albus had received a letter from his father the day after the attack, reassuring him that they were going to catch whoever was responsible. Albus wondered how long it took to convince his mother not to come up to Hogwarts again.

Albus and Conrad had left the hospital wing the morning after the attack, but not before a visit from Button. The Headmaster had seemed as nervous as usual, wringing his hands and softly dabbing his forehead and neck with a handkerchief while they recounted their story. Albus thought that perhaps the act seemed a little forced, as though he were putting on a show of it. Of course, he later realized that if he tried to fit everything to his new theory of Button having attacked them, he was going to start seeing things that weren't there.

It was with mixed feelings of sadness at leaving and excitement at coming home that Albus boarded the Hogwarts Express with his companions.

"How long's the train ride?" Olivia asked.

"Just as long as it was getting here," Ewan responded. Olivia scowled at him.

"What are you guys going to do when you get home?" Albus asked as he stowed Struana's cage in the luggage rack. The owl hooted in a reproachful manner, not at all happy at being caged.

Ewan and Olivia both shrugged. Neither of them talked much about home. Ewan had said that he went to a Muggle primary school, and he had inferred from one of Olivia's rants about their homework that she had been tutored privately most of her life, but other than that, Albus realized, his friends' home lives were much a mystery.

"I dunno. Catch up on some television programs I used to watch, maybe visit a few friends from my old school." Ewan didn't seem very enthusiastic about the prospect.

"I plan to sleep until noon every day," Olivia declared.

"I can understand that," Rose said, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I woke up shouting at one point; I'm surprised I didn't wake the rest of you up.

"Really? I didn't hear a thing," Olivia said, flopping into the seat across from Albus. "Anyway. After I sleep until noon, I'm going to get up, stuff my face, maybe go for a fly on one of the horses - "

"You have flying horses?" Albus interrupted, incredulous. "And you never mentioned them?"

Olivia blushed, a rare occurrence. "Well, how would I have brought them up? 'Oh, by the way, my family breeds Granians. Just saying.'"

"Granians?" Rose asked. "But those are really rare..."

There was a moment's silence. Olivia turned even more red and began fiddling with her fingers.

"You're rich, aren't you?" Ewan asked, a smirk creeping onto his face.

"No! Well, I mean..." Olivia was positively crimson now, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. "We're well enough off."

"How many house-elves do you have?" Ewan asked.

Olivia mumbled something in the direction of Rose's trunk.

"Four? Did you just say four? Yeah, you're rich," Ewan snorted and sat back. Albus was suddenly struck by how little he actually knew about his friends.

"This is why I didn't say anything!" Olivia complained, her eyes looking desperate. "The only people who like rich people are the ones who want to get some of their money for themselves!"

Albus and Rose looked at each other in surprise. They had both been brought up in families that never spoke much about money, and as such, never thought much about it.

Ewan, however, seemed to want to press the issue. "What do you mean? Poor people try to pretend to like rich people so they can take their money?" All trace of the usual good-natured sarcasm was gone from his voice. Now he sounded angry.

"No! That's just what my parents told - "

"I'm poor as can be, but I don't want to take your money."

"That wasn't what I meant!" Olivia looked incredibly flustered. Albus had never seen her on the defensive side of an argument before. It didn't suit her.

There was another moment of tense silence, then Albus felt moved to intervene. "I think there's a lot we didn't bother to ask each other about." He took a deep breath and summoned enough courage to do something that would either be very effective or very embarrassing. "I'm Albus Severus Potter. I live near Ottery St. Catchpole in a comfortable-but-not-large house with my brother, James, my sister, Lily, my mum, who's a Quidditch reporter, and my dad, who's an Auror and apparently saved the world or something once."

The sheer ridiculousness of this last statement was enough to break the tension. They all snorted with laughter.

"Al, you're a dork," Rose said.

"I am not! What does that even mean, anyway?"

"I don't know, but I heard Quinn calling Guy one."

"Oh, come on, say something about yourself! It'll make you feel better, even if it seems weird."

"Fine! Fine. I'm Rose Dierdre Weasley. I live a stone's throw away from Al, in basically the same house, with my annoying brother Hugo, my dad, who's also an Auror, and my mum, who... does a lot of stuff at the Ministry that I'm not entirely clear on. And they both helped Al's dad save the world."

They all chuckled again, and looked at Ewan, who sighed. "Oh, is it my turn? Okay then. My name is Ewan Andrew Greenwood. I live in a tiny apartment in London with my sister Hestia, who is turning nine soon, and my mum, who's a secretary for a dentist's office, and may have saved some teeth once."

They roared with laughter, and turned to face Olivia, who threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine. I'm Olivia Callidora Ellis, and I live in a great big mansion with four house elves, a whole bunch of horses, and my uptight mum and dad, who as far as I can tell, visit other rich people and socialize for a living."

They all looked at her for a moment, before Albus asked the question that they were all thinking. "'Callidora?'"

Olivia blushed deep scarlet again. "My mum's Greek! D'you think I got this skin color from my Welsh dad? And what kind of name is 'Severus,' anyway?"

A voice came from the doorway. "I'm James, and I live on the moon with my twin sister Fred and pet goblin Hannah, and I'm wondering what on earth you all are doing." James and the ill-described Fred and Hannah entered the compartment, bemused expressions on their faces.

"Just getting some things out in the open," Albus said, still smiling. "What do you want, goblin tamer?"

"Well, we were going to prank that annoying Hufflepuff from your year, what's his name, Wirre? But, it looks like that big Slytherin from your year on the Quidditch team got to him first." Albus could only imagine what Mordecai Crank had done to Anteres Wirre, but he didn't feel too sympathetic. "So, we decided we'd come in here and see if you guys wanted to play some Exploding Snap. Anyone game?"

They spent much of the ride home talking about their home lives and hobbies while playing various card games, including a strange new game Ewan taught them called "poker." Ewan commented, as he nursed singed fingers, that the game was much different when the cards didn't explode.

It was with great reluctance that they disembarked the train at King's Cross. Ewan met a tired looking woman and a very small little who leapt on his back as soon as she saw him. Olivia exchanged a far too formal greeting with her very elegant and very Mediterranean looking mother. Rose hugged her mother and father and made a face at Hugo. And Albus was attacked by a small, red haired girl who nearly bowled him over.

"Lily! You're huge, what've they been feeding you, Skelegro?" He hugged Lily as James fought off their mother, who was trying her hardest to give him a hug.

"No! But it's nice not having to fight you two off to get food for once!"

"I'll agree with that," their father said, stepping up and giving Albus a hug. "Got everything? Your grandmother's cooking a huge feast for when we get home; I think she started cooking this morning."

"A big dinner? Just for coming home?"

"You know your grandmother, she doesn't need much of an excuse to make a big deal out of something."

"Albus!" He turned and saw Ewan, still giving his sister a piggyback ride, and his mother approaching them. "Figured I might as well introduce you to my mum and sister, since they were here."

"'Figured you might as well,'" Mrs. Greenwood rolled her eyes, smiling. "You were practically dancing over there, talking about - "

"Mum!" Ewan howled. His sister giggled. She had the same brown hair and eyes as Ewan.

"Nice to meet you," Albus said, smirking at his friend, who looked very cross that his cool exterior had been blown. "Oh, that's Rose - " he pointed to where Rose was chatting at lightning speed with her mother, oblivious to the introduction. "And Olivia is..." He looked around, but Olivia was nowhere to be seen. "...Not here any more. And these are my parents." He gestured to his father and in the direction of his mother, who was now deliberately doing her best to embarrass James as he and Fred said goodbye to Hannah.

"Hi. Harry Potter," his father said, extending his hand.

"Ann Greenwood," she said, smiling and taking it.

"Ron Weasley," came an unexpected voice from behind Albus, and he jumped as his uncle also greeted Ewan's mother. He and Albus's father exchanged small smiles that Albus wasn't entirely clear about.

"Al, write to me at some point," Ewan said. "I don't have an owl, so I'll have to send it back with Struana, but still, keep in touch."

"Of course!" Albus said. They all had felt a renewed sense of friendship after the train ride home, as though they had come to a better understanding of each other.

"Are we ready to go, yet?" James grumped as he joined the group, having finally escaped their mother.

"Well, do you have your things?"

"I dumped it off on Hugo," James said, pointing to where Hugo and Lily were trying to load up the trolley, obviously eager to get their siblings home. Bob and Jupiter were beginning to screech loudly at each other.

"Well, then, let's go!"

Three hours later, they were enjoying a delicious feast after arriving home in a thoroughly ordinary car. Two hours after that, Albus was curled in a ball in his bed, simply happy to be home with his family.

Across Britain, his friends and classmates were also climbing into bed. A red headed girl was kissed good night by her parents, who silently hoped that her sleep was undisturbed. A boy who was normally too cool for school gave his sister his blanket so she wouldn't be cold during the night in their unheated apartment. A girl who had spent the night crying herself to sleep was tucked into her elaborate four poster bed by an elderly house elf. An aunt and uncle tried in vain for the hundredth time to reach their twin niece and nephew at an emotional level as they went to bed. And a boy who was beginning to question everything his father had taught him stared at himself in the mirror.

* * *

"Presents!" Albus woke on Christmas morning to find Lily jumping on his bed, as was her usual habit. "Of course, you got more..." She rolled her eyes.

Albus rubbed his eyes and peered blearily at his exuberant sister. "It's because they love me more."

"It is not! I wish I had my birthday on Christmas, and got double the presents."

"I go the whole rest of the year without getting any!"

"But that makes Christmas so much better!" She pounced at him, and he threw his hands up, caught her easily, and tossed her to the floor. She bounced right back up again. "Come on! Let's get Mum and Dad up so we can open presents!"

Albus looked at his clock. "It's only six!"

"So?"

He grumbled, but even he couldn't resist the prospect of presents for grabbing an extra hour of sleep. He collapsed on the couch in the living room while Lily went to harass the rest of the house. A few minutes later, James came down the stairs, tousle-haired and bleary-eyed. He laid down on the other couch without saying a word and pulled a pillow over his head.

Albus was occupying his focus on the shimmering Christmas tree in an attempt to stay awake, but as he was studying the face of the miniature house-elf perched on top, he found himself drifting off. He was thankful when Lily appeared, dragging their parents behind her.

"Enough, Lily!" their mother shook her off and sat down on the couch next to Albus. Lily plopped down on the floor with a huge smile on her face and started rummaging through the presents. "Here, Al, this one's for you... so's this one... and this one..." she shot him a dirty look.

"Happy birthday, Al," his mother said almost as an afterthought, obviously not fully awake yet. Albus forgave her, as he was almost as groggy as she was.

"Here, James!" Lily dropped a large present on top of the pillow that covered James's head. He grunted in response.

Albus opened his first present and found a copy of the latest revision of Quidditch Through the Ages. "All right! Thanks!" He began to wake up, and joined Lily on the floor to investigate the presents. Even James eventually showed his face, once he discovered that one of his presents consisted of a very large box of pranks from his uncle.

Dinner that night was of a spectacular fashion, full of loud and rambunctious conversation and merriment. Friends and family of all sorts had come, and there were soon close to fifty people in the magically warmed backyard of the Burrow. Albus couldn't remember the last time there were so many people at one of their gatherings, and vowed to make the most of the evening.

* * *

In a shabby apartment building in East London, Ewan Greenwood handed his sister one of her presents and grinned as she opened it and squealed in glee at the purple dress inside. Ewan laughed as he opened a present and found a picture of his mum and sister dressed as witches (the Muggle variety) for Halloween. "Your letters said you missed us, so I figured this would keep you company," his mother said, smiling at him.

Ewan stared at the picture for a moment more. "It's perfect." He set the picture aside and reached for his other present, from his grandparents. He opened it up and found a luxurious black fur cloak inside, which Ewan figured was thick enough to keep out even the bitter cold around Hogwarts.

"Ooh, that looks nice. Try it on!" his mother said, admiring the cloak.

"Er - one second," he said. "I wanna put the picture in my room before I lose it. He hurried into the bedroom he shared with his sister, which was divided by a sheet hanging from the ceiling to the floor, and placed the picture carefully on the night stand. He then opened up the cloak, and a number of smaller gifts came tumbling out. He grinned as he saw a wristwatch (mechanical), a box of chocolates, and, to his amusement, a small book on Muggle magic tricks. He reached for the letter that had also fallen out of the cloak, and opened it up.

_Ewan_

_Happy Christmas! We hope you're well, and having fun at school. Hearing everything your father told your mother and us about it, we can only imagine what it must be like to learn real magic! We are extremely proud of you - even if we can't tell anyone what it is you're really learning. Hope you make good use of your gift! It can get pretty cold up north._

_Love,_

_Mummum and Poppop_

Ewan smiled as he tucked the letter behind the picture frame. His mother was an extraordinarily proud woman, and refused to take money from his grandparents for anything. She let them give a Christmas and birthday present to Ewan and Hestia every year, but she insisted on no more than one. They had to learn, she said, to appreciate the meaning behind the gifts, and not focus on the gifts themselves. Ewan and Hestia, being young children, never understood this, and were more than pleased to accept the extra gifts their grandparents snuck into their parcels. This year, though, Ewan felt a twinge of guilt as he surveyed his loot. He shook it off, attributing it to keeping his mother waiting for him to show her the cloak.

Ewan hurriedly hid the watch, chocolate, and book behind an old pillowcase under his bed, fastened the cloak around his neck, and marched back into the living area.

"Well, that certainly took long enough!" His mother said, although still smiling.

"I couldn't figure out how to work the clasp," he improvised, motioning towards the elaborate but really quite simple buckle.

"Ewan, look at my new dress, isn't it pretty?" Hestia burst out of the bathroom, twirled in place like a ballerina, and then promptly fell over, giggling. "You look like a vampire!" she said, pointing at his cloak.

"Well, then, you'd better be careful I don't... SUCK YOUR BLOOD!" he spread the sides of the cloak out like a bat's wings and chased his little sister, who shrieked gleefully, happy to have her brother home.

* * *

In a large mansion far enough away from Nottingham that Muggle eyes wouldn't notice the horses flying above, Olivia Ellis ate a quiet lunch by herself. Her parents had woken her up far before her desired time to open presents before they went off to the first of their many parties of the day. She had asked to come, even though she knew the attempt was futile.

"Dear, you don't want to go to one of these parties. It's all adults, and some of them are rather... unsavory," her mother had chided in her thick accent, while her father had a house-elf make sure his robes were free of any stray horse hairs.

"Then why do you go?" she had asked, only to receive the standard response of it being good for business to show their faces and socialize. To keep their name among discussion when the elite of the Wizarding world were mentioned.

And that was how Olivia found herself sitting alone at the small kitchen table they reserved for the nights they didn't have company for dinner, eating a cold turkey sandwich and idly making the fire in the lamp on the table grow and shrink.

"Miss shouldn't do that," an ancient house-elf said, entering the room holding a large hamper of laundry. "Miss will get in trouble for using magic."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "The Ministry will just think it's one of you or my parents, you know that, Maddy."

Maddy the house elf gave her a stern look, and Olivia knew better than to argue with the elf who had been her nanny since birth. "Why doesn't Miss go out and try the new saddle her parents got her? Or the broom?"

"It's freezing out!"

"It would be better for Miss than sitting inside moping all day."

"I am not moping."

"Yes Miss is."

Olivia paused. "Okay, maybe I am. But they always leave me behind! They never take me anywhere, even to parties where there aren't any 'unsavory characters.' I didn't even get to see Dad at all the day I came home, and Mum left as soon as we got back."

"Missus just wants to keep Miss Olivia safe."

Olivia rolled her eyes again. "You _know_ that's not the only reason - if that's a reason at all."

Maddy slammed the laundry basket down, making Olivia jump. Such moves were very rare from the house-elf. "Master and Missus love Miss very much!" the little elf jabbed her finger in Olivia's face. "They have hired tutors, and arranged for special lessons at school - "

"They don't care!" Olivia jumped to her feet, feeling tears beginning to well up, not for the first time since she'd been home. "They're scared! If they cared, they'd be here today, on Christmas!" And she turned and fled, hurtling up two flights of stairs to her bedroom and throwing herself on her bed, sobbing.

* * *

"I can't believe we go back to Hogwarts tomorrow!" Rose said, throwing herself into the cushions of her favorite armchair at Albus's house. "Break just flew by!"

"I know," Albus sighed. "I'm not looking forward to going back to classes."

"What?" Rose was incredulous. "What's not to like?"

"Well," Albus put his hand on his chin in mock concentration. "Let's see. There's homework. There's the Slytherins. There's Phinean and his mood swings - that man is crazy. One class he'll be cheerful as can be, and the next, he looks like he'll curse us all through the wall - There's getting up for 8 o'clock classes. There's the Slytherins. There's Guy Sheppard. There's the Slytherins. There's Anteres Wirre. Am I missing anything? Oh, yes, there's also the Slytherins."

Rose rolled her eyes. "If you just did your homework in a timely matter, you wouldn't hate it so much. Phinean is a little... odd... but he's a good teacher. Guy and Wirre are annoying, yes, but the Slytherins haven't been so bad recently!"

Albus had to admit this was true. The Slairs and their cronies had only tried to curse them twice during their last few weeks at school, and Albus had sensed that their heart wasn't in it. He still had no idea what he had done to offend them, but he figured he ought not go poking around the lives of two possibly sociopathic classmates whose parents were famous for murdering fifty people.

His thoughts were interrupted by James tromping down the stairs and through the living room, Bob the owl perched on his shoulder as he read a letter. Curious as to who his brother would be writing to the day before they returned to school (and having utterly nothing better to do), Albus gave Rose an inquisitive look, and they followed James into the kitchen.

"Whatcha up to?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Who're you writing to?"

"None of your business."

"Why not?" Albus was needling him in the way only a younger sibling could.

"Because I'll hex you if you keep bugging me," James said as he stuffed the letter into an envelope and scrawled something across the front.

"You can't do that. We're not at school, you'll get in trouuuble." Albus sang the last word out, trying his best to get James agitated enough to slip up and let him see the envelope. It worked.

"You watch me. I'm pretty good at the Bat-Bogey Hex now, and nobody at the Ministry would be any wiser." He shook the hand holding the envelope in Albus's general direction, enough for Albus to see the name on the envelope. "They'd think Mum finally got mad at her most annoying child and - "

"Hannah? You're writing to Hannah? Why on earth are you doing that! You'll just see her tomorrow!"

James turned a deep shade of scarlet, and Rose gasped. "Ooooooh, you _like_ her, don't you!"

"Get stuffed," he said, tying the letter to Bob's leg.

"You _do_!" She exclaimed. "I'll bet you two have been writing back and forth all break! That's so - "

"I do not! I'm just - She asked something important, and I - "

"Uh huh, I'm sure she did," Albus said, laughing. "Barely four months ago you were grossed out at Teddy and Victoire snogging, and now you're looking to get a bit for yourself!"

James hurled Bob out the kitchen window with a squawk of protest from the owl and strode from the kitchen without another word.

Albus looked at Rose. "Well, that was fun. What shall we do now?"

Rose was looking at the counter. "Aren't those some of your dad's work files?"

Albus followed her gaze. "Yeah. He must've forgotten them." He surreptitiously strolled over to the purple folders.

"Al! You can't open them!"

He gave her a patronizing look. "I'm not _opening_ them, I'm just looking at the covers!" He gently pushed the top folder, labeled _Werewolf Activity in Scotland_, aside, to better look at the file underneath. He paused in surprise. "Rose, come here."

"What? I'm not opening those, we'll get in trouble."

"No, Rose, look. Why does he have..." Albus trailed off as he held up the file underneath, and his cousin's jaw dropped.

* * *

Harry Potter stretched his legs out and put his feet up on his desk. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. He was very comfortable, and therefore annoyed when he Ron interrupted his peaceful quiet time.

"What's up, mate?"

Harry groaned. "Just trying to enjoy the sound of silence. Lily's been getting us up earlier and earlier everyday. She didn't act like this when her brothers were at school, but now they're home, she's going nuts. Not to mention Al's been wild since he got home - when he finally gets up, that is. And James is spending all his time in his room, I have no idea what's going on with him." He sighed. "I'm losing control of my children, Ron!" He wasn't actually that agitated, but he felt it described the situation in appropriate hyperbole.

"Hmm. Glad I don't have to deal with that. My kids are over at your house all the time." Harry glared at him, and Ron changed tact. "So, are the arrangements all set for tomorrow?"

"Which arrangements? The kids' arrangements, or _our_ arrangements?"

"Both, I suppose."

"Ginny's driving all of ours to King's Cross tomorrow. I pity her, with that car ride to look forward to. Arcturas is setting up a spare classroom at Hogwarts to use as headquarters for the Aurors that will be stationed there this term." They had come to a pretty easy decision to station a few Aurors at the school. It had become clear that it was not merely some pranksters hazing first years when the Head Boy himself had been attacked. The fact that his son had almost become a victim for the second time might have also played a part in Harry's decision. "Keaney and the rest of them will be there tomorrow. They'll be taking it in shifts."

"Who do you think it is?" Ron asked. Harry didn't need to ask what he was referring to.

"How should I know?" He snapped. "If I knew, we wouldn't be stationing seven Aurors at Hogwarts, we'd just be going and arresting his arse."

"Alright, relax, mate."

Harry sighed. "Sorry. Stressful job, even when your child isn't being attacked by a madman."

Ron nodded. "But, do you reckon it's a student, or someone else?"

Harry paused. "I supposed it could be a student. They'd have to be pretty powerful, though, to knock a seventh year out for nearly twenty hours."

"So... it's probably not exactly a first year, then." Ron seemed to be avoiding saying what Harry knew was on his mind.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "If you're asking me if I think that Ewan Greenwood, son of one of the last uncaptured Death Eaters, is attacking students at random and incapacitating them, then the answer is no. From what Neville says, he's not very good with wandwork. Fantastic at Herbology, apparently, Neville was raving about him there - but, no, I seriously doubt it's him." Ron still looked anxious. "C'mon, Ron, you met the kid. He was a cheerful bloke."

"Does he know who his father is?"

"According to his mother when they interviewed her last year, he knows who Voldemort was, what the Death Eaters were, and that his father was one of them, but he thinks he's dead. His father disappeared when he was young. His mother was still pregnant with their second child. I doubt he even remembers him."

Ron stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Why would a Death Eater even shack up with a Muggle woman?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Cover? What better way to pretend you're not a Death Eater than to marry a Muggle? But it didn't do him much good. We still knew his game. Witnesses saw Marcus Greenwood torture and kill a whole family of Muggles. Four children. He hid for a while, but we caught up to him, in the end. Arcturas said when they told the poor woman who she had really married, she collapsed straight away, and didn't talk for nearly a day afterwards."

"But she kept his name? Why would she do that, after learning - "

"I don't know, who knows. Here, read the kid's file, maybe that'll clear some things up." Harry rummaged fruitlessly through the piles on his desk. "Ah, no! I don't believe it. I left it at home." He leaned back, putting his hands back behind his head and closing his eyes once again. "I'll get it - " he suddenly sat bolt upright.

"What's the matter?" Ron looked alarmed at his friend's sudden movement.

"I left it on the kitchen counter! And Al has been getting into everything lately! _Shit!_" He leapt to his feet and sprinted towards the fireplace, grabbing a handful of Floo Powder as he ran. Jumping into the fireplace, he flung the Floo Powder down, shouting "The Haven!" as he went.

As soon as he appeared in the fireplace at home, he knew he was too late. Albus and Rose were standing in the kitchen, reading Ewan Greenwood's file folder with looks of shock on their face.


	15. Long Train Running

**Chapter 15**

**Long Train Running**

* * *

Albus and Rose sat without speaking in what was becoming their usual compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Jupiter gave a soft hoot. Struana was asleep with her head under her wing.

"Should we - "

"No." Rose interrupted him.

"But - "

"Don't." She gave him a stern look.

Albus frowned at her before turning to look out the window at the crowd still milling about on Platform 9 3/4. Laramie Fox was struggling to collect his belongings: He had lost his grip on his trunk, which in turn had sprung open and ejected its contents upon hitting the ground. His progress was being hampered by Anteres Wirre, who was taking great delight in "accidentally" kicking the portly boy's possessions down the platform. Tiny, red-headed Daphne Akers appeared out of what seemed like nowhere, shouting at Wirre as he scampered onto the train. Her equally small blonde friend, whom Albus had learned was named Helga, bent down to help the ever-hopeless Laramie gather his school things.

Rose yawned. Albus turned to her. "Up thinking about it?"

"What? Oh, only a little. I just feel really tired for some reason. Probably just stressed about returning to school."

"What's there to be stressed about?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "'Oh, I don't know, the Slytherins, homework, Slytherins, classes, Sly -'"

"Alright, alright, very funny."

The compartment door slid open and Olivia entered, immersed as ever in the invisible cloud of energy that seemed to fuel her.

"Hey! Are you guys looking forward to getting back to Hogwarts?" She jammed her trunk under the seat and stretched out in the seat across from them.

Albus and Rose looked at each other. Rose was yawning again, and Albus was still trying to process the shocking information they had learned about their friend the day before. It had been a very confusing hour or so as his father explained to them how Ewan's father had been on the run from the Aurors for several years. How he had hidden amongst Muggles, eventually marrying one and fathering two children before being discovered and fleeing. How Ewan knew what his father was, but believed he was dead, killed trying to escape from the Aurors. How Ewan knew what his father was, but hadn't told them, the people he had been closest to at school. Although, now that Albus thought about it, there had been a lot that he hadn't known about either of his friends before the train ride home. And truth be told, when it came to people he was fond of, he appreciated an open, honest approach.

"Olivia," he said suddenly. "We have to tell you something."

Rose gave him a sharp look. "Al!"

"No, she ought to hear this!"

"But it's not - "

The compartment door slid open a second time, and the subject of Albus's attempted discourse entered. Ewan looked between them, sensing something was up. "What's going on?" Rose glared at Albus, who wore a look rather like a deer caught in wandlight. Olivia looked between them, confused.

"Albus is trying to tell me something that Rose doesn't want him to say," Olivia explained, damning them all.

"Oh really?" Ewan stowed his trunk overhead with ease as the train began to move, and nudged Olivia into a sitting position so he could have a spot. "What is it? Catch Sheppard and Fox snogging on the platform or something?"

Albus opened his mouth, despite not knowing what to say. Fortunately, Rose cut across him. "No, not quite. We heard a rumor going around that the Slairs were withdrawn over break." Albus had to admire her ability to lie under pressure. The execution was perfect - an exasperated tone, a casual eye roll at the word "rumor."

Ewan frowned. "No, that's not right. I just saw them in one of the other compartments. Sunshine bared his fangs at me, and Crank gave me a rude gesture."

"Why didn't you want him to mention it?" Olivia didn't look satisfied with Rose's explanation.

"Because it was a dumb rumor! We heard it from Kelly Faust, and you know that she blows everything she hears out of proportion."

Olivia shrugged. "Good point."

"So, how was Christmas?" Ewan asked. "I got all your owls, sounds like you pulled in some good loot." He lifted his arm, where a shiny gold wristwatch sat. "This'll work at Hogwarts, right?"

Rose inspected the watch. "Yeah, that should work fine."

"Good. I told my grandparents that electronic stuff wouldn't work around Hogwarts."

"Are those your grandparents on your mum's side? They know about Hogwarts? And - magic, and all?" Rose seemed surprised.

"Yeah. My mum said they had a heck of a shock when my dad explained everything to them. He had to turn their grandfather clock into a tree before they believed him."

Albus's stomach gave a twist. "When did you say your dad died?" He could sense, moreso than see, Rose tense up next to him.

The question seemed to throw Ewan off. "Er - I think I was only one or two. All I know is my mum was still pregnant with Hestia, and there was an accident at the apothecary he was working at." He shrugged. "I wonder if it was the one Guy's father runs. Maybe it runs in the family," he added as an afterthought.

_He's practiced that_, Albus thought.

"Did anyone actually finish that essay on State of Matter Transformations for Moorehead?" Olivia asked.

"Yeah, I did," Rose said, clearly glad to steer the conversation out of dangerous waters.

"Figures," Ewan rolled his eyes.

Rose gave him a dirty look. "You've just lost any chance you might have had at taking a look at mine."

"Who said I didn't finish my own? You know, that truly hurts, that you think I can't even do my own homework."

"...Did you finish?"

"Of course not."

"Well, now I'm not letting you copy my History of Magic notes, either - "

"We know, Ewan," Albus burst out. He couldn't keep quiet any longer. Rose closed her eyes, swearing under her breath. Olivia and Ewan simply looked confused.

"Know what? That I didn't do my homework? That's not much of a stretch."

"No, we know that - that your dad was - that he was a Death Eater." The compartment had gone deathly silent. Rose was rubbing her forehead in frustration, her eyes still closed. Olivia's eyes were wide. Ewan was staring straight at Albus, not even breathing. "And. That. Erm. He tried to get away from the Ministry, and that he..." Albus trailed off.

Ewan was as pale as a ghost. He slowly stood up, opened the door, and walked out without saying a word.

Rose looked up. "Good job. Splendid, really."

Albus stared at the floor.

"What was that?" Olivia looked between them, shell-shocked. "His father - What?"

Rose gave Albus a look that plainly said "you can explain this mess you've gotten us into."

Albus turned bright pink, and hastily explained the situation to Olivia's knee. "My dad, he had a folder with Ewan's name on it, and he left it at home, and - well - we looked."

"_You _looked!" Rose protested.

"You did too!"

"You were the one who started snooping!"

"And you didn't stop me when you saw what it said!"

"That's - "

They were interrupted by the door sliding open again, revealing just about the last person they expected to see. Scorpius Malfoy looked between the three of them. "Tell your friend to watch where's he's going, would you?"

Albus and Rose exchanged confused glances. Malfoy hadn't spoken a word to them since the first week of classes. Olivia was still trying to figure out what had just happened with Ewan.

"Er - okay. We'll do that," Rose said cautiously.

Malfoy remained in the doorway, confusing them all even more. Figuring he was already in too deep to swim out, Albus decided to release another weight that had been sitting on his chest for far too long.

"I didn't attack you. I - I heard that you got attacked at the end of the first week, after - after what happened on the Astronomy Tower. I just wanted to tell you that it wasn't me."

Malfoy stared at him. Rose closed her eyes and began rubbing her temples.

"I believe you," Malfoy said, further stunning them all. He took one last look around the compartment before leaving, and Albus wondered if he was enjoying the effect he had created.

Rose sat back, dropped her hand from her face, and gave Albus an exhausted look. "You're on a real roll, you know that? Any other confessions you want to get out while we're already shocked?"

Albus thought for a moment. "No, that's it." He groaned and leaned into the window. His forehead made a dull _thud_ on contact. "I can't believe I did that. I have to go find Ewan - "

Rose grabbed his arm as he stood. "No. Just sit for a few minutes. Then _I'll_ go find him."

Albus obediently sat. "Why didn't he tell us, though?" he asked after a minute.

Rose sighed. "I don't know, Albus, why do you _think_ he didn't tell the legendary Harry Potter's son that his father was a Death Eater?"

"But - what, he thought we'd ditch him?"

"Either that, or he thought the Ministry would interrogate him again. You saw that file. They asked him all sorts of questions about his dad. He never even knew him, and they still made him sit there for hours while they questioned him about him."

"Why would they question him about his dad if his dad's dead?" Olivia interjected.

Albus and Rose shared another glance, then both looked at Olivia in silence.

"Oh." Olivia swore. "You have to be kidding. Does he know?"

Albus shook his head. "The file said he thinks his father was killed by Aurors trying to escape."

Olivia swore again. Rose stood up. "I'm going to find him."

Albus and Olivia sat in silence for a moment. "He had to have known it would've come out eventually, though," Albus said. "It would've just been easier to tell us to begin with."

"Well, how would you bring that up? Do you expect him to sit there, 'I'm Ewan Greenwood, I live with my mum and sister, and my dad was a crazy lunatic who worshipped a mass murderer?' That's not something that comes up in conversation. He probably figured it would be best to let it go and try not to think about it coming up."

"But - " This made no sense to Albus. "He had to have known it would happen!"

Olivia shrugged. "He probably did. He just didn't want to think about it, so he didn't."

"How can anyone do that so easily? Just... not think about something like that?"

Olivia shrugged again. "It's easy. Watch." She sat silently, staring at the ceiling.

In spite of himself, Albus chuckled. "I can't do that. I'm too... I don't even know."

"You're open," Olivia finished for him. She shrugged a third time. "It's probably a good thing."

* * *

Rose peered into compartments as she walked the length of the train. She saw the Slairs, Crank, and Parker deep in conversation. She saw James, Fred, and Hannah passing around an old piece of parchment. She saw Katie Boot of Ravenclaw trying to surreptitiously slip an Extendable Ear under the compartment door of Scorpius Malfoy and Philip Quick. She frowned at this last scene, but quickly put it out of mind as she saw what she had been looking to see.

The door to the boys' water closet opened, and Ewan walked out. He saw her, opened his mouth, closed it again, and backed back into the small bathroom.

"Oh, no you don't!" She stuck out her foot and caught the sliding door before he could shut it. She threw the door open, grabbed Ewan by the shirt, and tried to pull him out. When all she got for her trouble was a squawk of protest, she groaned, stomped into the tiny room, and slammed the door behind her.

"You do know this is the boys' loo, right?" Ewan asked.

"You do know that you shouldn't have gone off like that, right?"

He glared at her. "Why not? It's none of your business who my father was. And you had no right to go blurting it out."

She jabbed a finger in his face. "First of all, it was Al, not me. Second of all - you could've told us! None of us would've judged you or anything!"

He paused for a moment, seemingly lost for words. "I just... don't like to think about it," he said finally. "Or talk about it. How'd you find out, anyway?"

"Al's dad left a file about it sitting out. Al doesn't know how to keep his hands to himself, so he started reading it."

Ewan nodded slowly.

Rose sighed. "He's never been good at keeping secrets. Not big ones that could get him in trouble, anyway. James used to beat him up for tattling so many times when we were little." She shrugged. "He just likes being open about things." She suddenly remembered the D.A., and the parchment they had signed forbidding them on penalty of curse to discuss it. She wondered how often he had wanted to tell their friends about the secret club. She had been tempted at times, and knew that Ewan and Olivia would eventually (somehow) find out, but had ultimately decided that it was in her better interests not to end up on the receiving end of a cursed parchment.

Ewan shook his head. "I'm not used to telling everybody everything, like that. My mum didn't even tell me I was a wizard until I was seven and the Ministry questioned me."

Rose nodded. "Don't worry, I understand."

"Plus, I mean, how was I supposed to bring that up? You get to a certain point with people you know where it's just sort of... awkward... to announce something like that."

They stood in silence for a moment, before Rose suddenly realized they were still in the boys' lavatory. "Erm - we should probably get back to the compartment."

"Yeah..." Ewan slid the door open and peered out. The corridor was mercifully empty. They returned to their compartment, where Albus was immersed in a Quidditch book (_One Hundred and Ninety Six of the Greatest Seekers of the Past Five Hundred and Sixty Seven Years_), and Olivia was picking through the Chocolate Frogs, looking for new cards.

There was a moment's silence where they all looked at each other. Albus opened his mouth to speak, but Ewan waved him off. "Don't worry about it. It's okay."

Albus nodded slowly, a faint smile creeping onto his face. "Okay, then."

Rose rolled her eyes. _Boys._

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy sat silently in what was fast becoming his usual compartment on the Hogwarts Express. He watched Laramie Fox ogling a curvy sixth year walking by, blissfully unaware of the thin line of drool hanging off of his dropped jaw. The girl cast a disgusted look in his direction, Laramie turned red and dropped his trunk, and his belongings spilled everywhere. Anteres Wirre immediately made a spectacle out of himself by kicking Fox's possessions around. A group of older Slytherins watched the proceedings, shaking their heads. Scorpius knew these particular Slytherins, and knew that they were not frowning at the actions themselves, but at the foolishness of Wirre, who could've easily caused just as much chaos without nearly as many witnesses by simply using a spell (which would've gone undetected by the Ministry on the busy platform). Indeed, Wirre paid dearly as two Hufflepuff girls came to Fox's rescue.

The door slid open, and Philip Quick dragged his trunk into the compartment. Scorpius helped him stow the trunk overhead. "Good haul for Christmas?" he asked. The trunk was abnormally heavy.

Philip grinned. "You know it. Plus, my dad expanded the inside of the trunk, so I put everything I could in there." Scorpius groaned. His friend had an fondness for books. Mostly heavy ones, it seemed.

"What - " Scorpius suddenly noticed his hands had large ink smudges on them.

"Oh. Sorry about that. I spilled an ink bottle on the trunk this morning. I guess I didn't get it all."

"Don't worry about it." Scorpius ventured out into the corridor in search of a washroom.

"Oi. Malfoy." Scorpius wheeled around to see Mordecai Crank beckoning him into a compartment. He narrowed his eyes, but followed the larger boy into the compartment, where he found himself in distasteful company. Vexibella Slair gazed up at him while her brother determinedly glared at the floor. Isabel Parker sat stretched out across the other seat, grinning at him in a way that could only be described as cheeky. He gave her an empty look in return. He had long since suspected that she was (somewhat inadvertently) responsible for his father knowing what he was up to at school. His mother had let slip over the holidays about Isabel's mother and Scorpius's father being in correspondence. The pieces hadn't taken long to fall into place from there.

Crank was now looking expectantly at Vexibella, but Scorpius wasn't going to play their games. "What do you want, Crank?" he asked.

The large Scottish boy seemed startled at being addressed. "Ah don' want ter talk ter yeh." He motioned in the direction of the Slairs.

"Well," he directed this next comment to Vexibella. "If I want to talk to someone, I go and find them myself, instead of sending a lackey to get them for me."

"Who are yeh callin' a lackey?" Scorpius chose to continue staring at Vexibella, whose gaze did not waver.

"You don't have any lackeys," she said finally. "That's why we called you in here."

"You're offering me one of yours? I'll take Crank. Parker got me in trouble with my father." Isabel tilted her head, grin fading.

"You don't have many friends at Hogwarts," Vexibella continued. "We just figured you'd appreciate some company."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her. Vilhelm was still glaring at the floor, Crank was busy trying to look tough, and Isabel was still watching him curiously, now idly playing with her dark red hair. He wasn't sure who "we" was, but he wasn't seeing it in his present surroundings.

"I'm doing fine, thanks." He turned to leave.

"This is only a one time invitation," Vexibella said quickly. "Things may be changing in Slytherin House. You don't want to be on the wrong side on them."

Scorpius couldn't help himself. He laughed loudly. "Who do you think you are? You're a couple of first years that nobody else wants to be around. You're the ones who give Slytherin a bad reputation. Trying to look all sinister and mysterious, all the while sending these clowns to do your bidding. I'm pretty sure that act went out of fashion about twenty years ago." He glared at Vexibella, who continued to gaze calmly back.

Vilhelm raised his head and spoke for the first time. "I would have thought you'd be more open to the idea of being part of a special group. Considering your father - "

His wand was in his hand before the other boy could finish his sentence. "_Flexus Femuria!_"

Vilhelm was quick, however, and dodged the jinx. Scorpius suddenly found four wands pointed at him. He hesitated but a moment, then tucked his wand back into his pocket.

"Smart move," Vilhelm said. "We wouldn't have been nice enough to use a Jelly-Legs Jinx on you."

Scorpius snorted. "You lot are pathetic." Without waiting for a retort, he spun and left the compartment. Once he got to the next car, he paused. While the Slairs and their cohorts were suffering from obvious delusions of grandeur, they had a slight point, one that Scorpius had come to realize over the past term. In his efforts to do as his father wished and stay away from Potter and Pals, he was alienating himself from the rest of his classmates. He never talked to anybody from Gryffindor, and very rarely did he engage in conversation with any Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws. He knew already that he didn't want to go through his schooling career being "that fellow." He also knew that it would be important to have contacts later in life. _Maybe..._ He thought for a moment. All he had to do was to gradually start talking to some of his classmates more. Make a few jokes. Maybe throw out a comment or two about how ridiculous and unfriendly the Slairs were. Just do enough that people developed respect for him. He wasn't particularly interested in making friends with everyone.

But he would never talk to Potter or his friends. He would do as his father asked. And perhaps some of his classmates' parents were in correspondence with his father. It would surely impress him greatly if they wrote him with stories of how their children found Scorpius to be a pleasant, charming, and witty classmate. His father had always stressed the importance of keeping up appearances. Scorpius smiled. It was a master plan. Rather ingenious, he thought. Scorpius liked plans. It irritated him greatly, therefore, when a compartment door in front of him sprang open and one of Potter's companions, not paying a bit of attention. walked right into him and knocked him to the floor.

"Watch where you're - " But the other boy had already disappeared into the next car. Scowling at his retreating back, Scorpius climbed back to his feet, brushing away any stray specks of dirt that might have found their way onto him. He looked at the door from which Greenwood had come. Potter was in there. Potter was the one person in the school that he was supposed to stay away from, and yet he kept ending up in the vicinity of the other boy. He turned to return to the car with his compartment, but something kept him in place. He knew what it was. Despite the obvious evidence to prove his father's allegations that trouble seemed to find the Potters, he was deeply tempted to find out for himself what it was about the family that attracted so much trouble. He frowned. It didn't fit into the plan. But it still intrigued him. He glanced at the compartment door, then back down into the next car. The Slairs' door was still shut. Parker wouldn't be able to see what he was doing. And what his father didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Temptation won over, and Scorpius slid the door open.

"Tell your friend to watch where's he's going, would you?"

Potter and Weasley looked at him, then at each other, not even trying to hide their expressions of confusion. The truth be told, Scorpius couldn't blame them. This had to be a little unexpected. Even he wasn't entirely sure why he was doing what he was doing.

"Er - okay. We'll do that." Weasley was still eyeing him with apprehension. The unnaturally blonde Ellis didn't even seem to notice his presence. She sat staring straight ahead and biting her lip, apparently lost in thought.

Scorpius watched Potter. He didn't see what was so special about the boy sitting in front of him looking gob-struck. _Maybe somebody put a curse on their family a couple hundred years ago, and they're still feeling the effects_. Scorpius suddenly realized the room had gone into an awkward silence. His eyes flickered back to Weasley, who had an eyebrow raised in his direction.

Fortunately, Potter broke the silence. "I didn't attack you. I - I heard that you got attacked at the end of the first week, after - after what happened on the Astronomy Tower. I just wanted to tell you that it wasn't me."

Scorpius stared at him, bewildered. He hadn't seriously suspected Potter was involved in that incident for at least a month. Not with all the other attacks. Especially with an attack on Potter himself

"I believe you," Scorpius said. And he did. Potter and Weasley continued looking as though their world had been turned on its head, and even Ellis was giving him peculiar glances now. He quickly turned and left.

He paused outside the compartment. A quick glance down at his hands reminded him of why he had left the haven that was his own compartment in the first place. He quickly found a washroom and returned to his compartment to find Philip in a heated argument with the Ravenclaw Katie Boot.

"That's what I thought," Philip said as she stormed past Scorpius and out into the hall. Scorpius raised his arms questioningly.

Philip rolled his eyes. "She thinks I'm cheating on tests and homeworks in class. Well, rather, she can't handle the fact that someone might be smarter than her, so she's harassing me about it." Philip had a standing feud with Katie Boot that had stretched from the beginning of term. Katie, Philip, and Rose Weasley were the three top students in the year. Scorpius considered himself in the next level down - an group which, coincidentally, also appeared to include Albus Potter.

"You'd better watch your back," Scorpius said, sitting down and reaching for a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. The snack cart had apparently been by. "She has it in for you."

Philip dismissed this notion with a wave. "She's just bitter. She'll get over it." Scorpius doubted the girl would get over it, but he let it go. "So, what took so long? Get lost?"

Scorpius laughed and recounted his adventures with the Slairs. He left out the part about visiting the Gryffindors' compartment. He hadn't told anybody about his father's insistence that he stay away from Potter. _They wouldn't understand._

That night, as he dog-eared a page of a Quidditch book with a name far too lengthy for its purposes, he considered the plan again. It was a solid plan. Scorpius wondered what his father would think of it. With a jolt, he thought of what his father would think of him going straight into Potter's compartment and instigating a conversation. _But I didn't really instigate that, now, did I?_ After all, Greenwood had nearly bowled him over. It was only natural that he should find his friends and tell them to pass along the message to be careful and not wander around like a fool. Satisfied with this justification, Scorpius rolled over and closed his eyes.


	16. The Aurors

**Chapter 16**

**The Aurors**

* * *

"May I have your attention, please?" Albus reluctantly tore himself away from his sausage and eggs to see the source of the voice calling from the front of the hall, and was surprised to find that it was Button.

_For once,_ he thought.

"As many of you have no doubt noticed, we have guests with us today." He motioned to his left, and Albus was surprised to see seven gruff looking witches and wizards standing motionless by the door to the antechamber, wearing the scarlet robes of Aurors. His father hadn't mentioned this to him.

"Looks like Button got his wish," Albus whispered to Ewan, casting a suspicious look at the headmaster. He hadn't told anyone outside his friends his suspicion that Button attacked him and Conrad Clearview the month before. He realized it sounded ridiculous, but it just seemed too coincidental to him: The Auror telling the headmaster that a more significant attack was needed before the Aurors would intervene, and not long after, a far more significant attack occurring. He didn't think for an instant that Button had been behind the previous attacks, but judging by how scared the headmaster had been during the meeting he and Ewan had eavesdropped on, Albus would not have put it past him at all to Stun a few students to get the security he desired. He scoffed, wondering how such a foolish and cowardly man had become headmaster of Hogwarts.

"These fine witches and wizards are from the Auror Department, and are here to ensure the continued safety of everyone here. Please give them your full cooperation and let them do their job." Button seemed to be in a pleasant mood.

"That guy was here before." Ewan pointed to the wizard standing in the middle of the line of Aurors. "When we were in detention. He came in through the Entrance Hall while I was cleaning it."

Albus followed his gaze. The wizard looked familiar. "Oh! That's... oh, what's his name... Arcturus? Yeah, Arcturus Harmon, he's in charge of the Auror department when my dad's not there. Oh - " Arcturus Harmon was making a beeline straight for where they were sitting.

"Why is he coming over here?" Albus whispered nervously to Ewan under his breath.

"How should I know? What's the big deal?"

"Well, look at him. He's kind of... scary looking, isn't he?" Indeed, Arcturus Harmon was an intimidating man. Standing at over six feet, powerfully built, and sporting a graying beard, he gave off an aura of someone with great confidence in their ability to control what surrounded him. As he moved, heads turned, and quickly turned back when they caught a glimpse of the older Auror.

Reaching where Albus was sitting, he extended his hand. "Albus. I don't know if you remember me, we've met a few times..."

"Mr. Harmon." Albus took his hand, which Harmon shook in a firm, but not painful handshake.

"Please, you can call me Arcturus. And I met Ewan here a few months ago." Albus didn't ask how Harmon knew Ewan's name. He lowered his voice. "Your father told me to make sure that you knew to tell me straight away if anything else happened to you." Albus felt his cheeks burn, and opened his mouth, but Harmon cut across him. "You've been involved in three of the incidents here. We just want to make sure that number doesn't increase."

Albus nodded. "I will." He briefly considered just blurting out what he suspected about Button's involvement with the final attack right then and there, but held his tongue. Harmon nodded, smiled, and strode down the aisle between tables.

Something bothered Albus. "Did he say three?"

Olivia considered for a moment. "The night before classes... the thing with Clearview... I guess he considers the Astronomy Tower one of those 'incidents' also?"

"Maybe..." Albus mused, glancing reflexively to the Slytherin table, where Scorpius Malfoy was chatting to a girl with dirty blonde hair. By sheer chance, he caught the other boy's eye, and they both paused for a second before looking away.

Classes that day all started with a lecture on the importance of studying for their exams. As did all their classes the next day. In Muggle Studies on Wednesday, Professor Creevey followed up his speech on exams with some exciting news:

"In April, we will be taking a trip. An overnight trip, in fact." The class stirred. "We'll be traveling to the National Forest for a camping trip, Muggle style. No magic fires, no magically expanded tents, just camping the way Muggles do it." Much of the class sank back into their seats, disappointed, but Albus was intrigued.

"Why are we going _camping_?" Vilhelm Slair almost never spoke in class, but now he had a most disgusted look on his face. "Why not into a Muggle city, to see what they actually _do_?"

Creevey surveyed the boy, gently stroking his enormous mustache. "I take the older students into Muggle cities. They're better equipped to interact with Muggles. When you reach third year - "

"I'm perfectly well equipped to deal with _Muggles_," Vilhelm sneered. The rest of the class, save Vexibella, shifted uncomfortably. Anti-Muggle sentiment had been largely stamped out (or, at the very least, suppressed) since the end of the war. A person had to be either very brave, very ignorant, or very indifferent to spit the word "Muggle" out the way Vilhelm had just done.

Creevey seemed unaffected, however. "The results of your last test would indicate otherwise, Mr. Slair. The last time I checked, the electronic device Muggles use to watch entertainment programs is the television, not the microwave."

Ewan snorted with laughter, as did Quinn Olston, the only other student in the class raised by Muggles. The rest of the class didn't understand why this was so funny. Vilhelm merely glowered at Creevey.

Rose threw a curveball at Albus on Wednesday. "Are you ready to apologize?" She asked that night in the common room as Albus and Ewan worked on an essay on minor jinxes for the ever temperamental Professor Phinean.

Albus was baffled. _Apologize? For what?_ "Apologize? I apologized to Ewan Sunday night." Albus and Ewan had moved past the issue, and the only time Albus had thought about Ewan's father was when he caught one of the Aurors casting an unreadable look at Ewan.

"Not to Ewan! To me."

Albus was nonplussed. He hadn't even realized Rose was mad at him. "What do I have to apologize to you for?"

Rose threw up her arms and stormed out of the common room.

"What did I do?" Albus asked Ewan in utter confusion.

Albus saw Olivia look up from her book and shake her head at him from her usual position by the fire.

"And what is that supposed to mean?" he asked loudly, drawing the eyes of several other students.

Olivia dog-eared her book and took her time standing up and stretching before joining Albus and Ewan at their table. "She's mad at you because you dragged her into that whole mess on Sunday. She told you she didn't want to say anything about it, and you went ahead and did it anyway. Couple that with the fact that she hasn't been sleeping well, and it's no wonder she's been giving you the silent treatment."

Albus scratched his head. "She's been doing what?" He didn't remember his cousin ever being so complicated. "And what do you mean, I dragged her in? She could've just stayed out of it... and what do you mean, she's not sleeping well?"

"She couldn't have 'just stayed out of it.' The first thing you said was 'we know.' You put her on the spot, and she doesn't like being on the spot when she's not expecting it. And I don't know why she's not sleeping well, but she said she woke up shouting at three this morning."

Albus just stared at her again. "What was she shouting? And why didn't she say anything before now?"

Olivia shrugged. "I don't know. She's stubborn."

Albus shook his head, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. "She never used to be this complicated." He narrowed his eyes at Olivia. "I blame you."

"What? What are you blaming me for? At least I told you now, or else you'd never know what she was on about! You have - " she broke off as Albus burst out laughing, then swore at him and upended his ink bottle all over his essay before storming back to her chair.

"Oi! I was almost done with that!"

"Shouldn't have teased her, mate," Ewan said, shrugging. "Look on the bright side, at least now you can practice that liquid collecting Charm Flitwick assigned."

It was a pretty dim bright spot, Albus thought, but took out his wand and siphoned as much of the ink off the parchment as he could. He frowned at the still smeared essay. "I'm going to be up all night rewriting this."

He was one of the last few in the common room that night when Rose returned, well after curfew. "Rose. Hey - Rose!" But Rose ignored him, walked briskly over to the door to the girls' dormitory, and disappeared up the stairs. Albus paused for a moment, then, ignoring the protests of the few students still awake, threw open the door and attempted to follow her up the stairs.

"Rose - What the - " The stairs melted together under him with a horrible screech, and he slid back down on his stomach, much to the amusement of the half dozen older students still present. Their laughter only amplified when Rose slid down a second later and landed on his head.

"What do you want?" She glared at him.

"Er - I wanted to apologize for, er - for dragging you into that situation on the train, and not doing what you... yeah..." He trailed off as Rose gave him a suspicious look.

"Olivia talked to you, didn't she?"

"Yeah." Albus figured it was pointless to pretend otherwise. Fortunately, a small smile appeared on Rose's lips, and she rolled her eyes.

"Boys are dumb."

"'Boys are dumb?' You're the one who didn't talk to us for nearly three days, and didn't tell us why! Girls are the ones who are dumb!"

"True, that," called one of the fifth years around the fire, who were all half-heartedly pretending not to listen to the younger students' conversations. The girl sitting next to him hit him on the arm, hard.

Rose grinned at Albus, apparently satisfied. She gave him a quick hug, then disappeared back up the stairs. The fifth years all made "ooh"-ing noises. Albus scowled at them. "Bugger off. She's my cousin."

* * *

The first D.A. meeting after the winter break occurred the following Wednesday. Conrad gave them all a stern warning about the importance of learning defensive magic in the present climate.

"Note: Defensive, not offensive," he said. "We aren't trying to instigate anything; just defend ourselves if the need should arise."

The meeting that night started off well, even by the D.A.'s usual standards. Albus was now so proficient at Disarming and Shield Charms that even a fourth year had trouble getting to him. It was with great annoyance, therefore, that the D.A. had to stop their practice when Professor Flitwick's squeaky voice came over the invisible intercom.

"All students are to report immediately to their common rooms. Heads of House will be around shortly."

Albus and Rose exchanged worried looks. James, Fred, and Hannah had been conspicuously absent from the meeting. "You don't think..." Rose began.

"Yeah, I do," Albus said. His stomach gave an unnatural twist.

Back in Gryffindor Tower, students were milling about nervous, talking about what they suspected had happened.

"It has to be another attack, doesn't it?"

"Probably, but it could be something stupid, like a drill."

"Maybe."

"I heard a Slytherin say they found a body!" Kelly Faust was nearly hysterical.

"There you are." Albus turned around and saw Ewan and Olivia fighting their way through the crowd to get to them. "We thought it might've been you again, after what that Auror said last week..." Ewan trailed off.

"No, we're fine," Albus said. Ewan and Olivia still didn't know about the D.A.. Albus had wanted to tell them, but couldn't figure out a way around the curse they had been warned about. "Have you seen James around?"

"No, do you think - "

They were interrupted by the door to the portrait hole opening, and to their surprise, Hagrid entering the common room, having to duck his head as he went.

"Alrigh', alrigh', settle down, now..." The common room fell quiet nearly instantly. "Now, yeh've all prob'ly figured it out, but there was another attack."

Whispers broke out immediately. "I knew it! Someone's dead!" Kelly wailed.

"Hold yer hippogriffs, nobody's dead. Nobody's even hurt. They managed ter hide and protect themselves."

"Hagrid, who was it?" Albus called. His stomach was knotting worse than ever.

Hagrid looked at him with a worried expression and addressed the room at large. "It was three Gryffindor third years. James, Fred, and Hannah." The room immediately erupted in whispers again. Albus's stomach gave a lurch. "But it's okay, I told yeh, they didn't even have a scratch on 'em. Nev- Professor Longbottom is with 'em now, as is the headmaster, and the Aurors are out tryin' ter find the person."

"Do they think it's someone here at Hogwarts?" A burly sixth year called out.

"I don' know anything more'n what I jus' told yeh. What with the protective wards, though, it has to be someone with permission to come on the grounds. Yeh can't enter without permission from the headmaster." The room was silent for a second, then conversation burst out, people not even bothering to keep it to a whisper. Kelly Faust and Quinn Olston were practically wailing. "Ah, I shouldn't've told yeh that..." Hagrid shook his head. "Look, ev'rybody - it's gonna be fine, the Aurors are on it." He turned and hustled back out the portrait hole before he could cause any more ruckus.

Albus shook his head. "I didn't know about that ward..." He looked at the other three. "That means it has to have been someone that's been invited on the grounds by Button. A student... or a teacher." This news left him unsettled.

"Or an Auror," Rose added. The others looked at her in surprise. "Well, Button did technically invite them onto the grounds starting last semester, it could've been an Auror all along..."

"Then who was responsible for the first attacks? He needed a reason to invite the Aurors in. It couldn't have been them," Albus said, frowning.

"Oh, right..."

The discussion continued for another hour, and when James, Fred, and Hannah entered, escorted by Neville and an Auror, the whole of Gryffindor House gathered around them.

"What happened?"

"Did you see who it was?"

"Was it a Slytherin?"

"I'll bet it was a Slytherin."

"Hold on!" Fred put his arms up as James shoved through the crowd to a table. "Longbottom and that big Auror Harmon told us not to say much about it." The whole of the common room groaned with disappointment. Fred checked over his shoulder to make sure the portrait hole was closed. "So of course, we had to wait until we were sure they were gone to tell you the whole thing." The common room erupted in cheers.

"He does seem to be enjoying this," Rose said, still frowning.

"James doesn't, though, look at him." Albus pointed to where his brother was sitting, arms crossed, glaring at the crowd.

"Okay," Fred began, now standing on a table for dramatic effect. Hannah stood behind him, looking embarrassed. "So, we were walking down the corridor, going to the - er, going where we were going, and suddenly, this blue light flies over our heads, all spiral-like, and hits the wall. Probably the only reason it missed was because it was moving like a corkscrew, and spiraled right over us. Anyway, right after that, all the lights in the corridor go out. James throws up a quick Shield charm, and Hannah and I try to light up our wands, but we can't see anything."

"Peruvian Darkness Powder," someone called out.

"Exactly what we thought. Anyway, we're standing there, trying to figure out what's going on, and suddenly, a whole bunch of those blue spells come flying at us. I have no idea why we could see the spells, but nothing else, but anyway... We're trying to put up Shield Charms, and they're bouncing all around the place, and then, _this_ bloke - " Fred pointed at James, who was still sitting at his table looking extremely mad. " - sends the biggest Stunner I've ever seen down the corridor. Seriously! He missed, but the whole hallway shook when it hit the wall. Anyway, the blue spells stopped, and we heard someone shout - I don't know what they said, if they said anything at all - and suddenly the darkness started to disappear, like a cloud lifting or something."

The crowd whispered in hushed voices, glancing between the three third years reverently. "I missed, though," James finally said. "If I had gotten him..." He trailed off and kicked the table leg.

Hannah hurried over and sat next to him. Fred followed, as the crowd dispersed. "It's not your fault. If you hadn't have sent that Stunner, he would've kept sending those blue spells, and who knows what they would've done if they had made contact."

"You don't know what they were, then?" Albus asked as they joined them at James's table.

"No idea," Fred shrugged. "The teachers didn't know when we told them about it, either. It was bright blue, long, and moved like a corkscrew. They were baffled."

Albus paused for a second, then got up and headed over to where Conrad Clearview was sitting. "I need to talk to you."

The older boy looked momentarily confused, but then stood up. "I'll be right back," he said to his friends, and pulled Albus into a corner. "What is it?"

Albus hesitated, then spilled it out. "I think Button was the one who attacked us before Christmas." He quickly explained the conversation he and Ewan had overheard between Button and the Auror Harmon, and his suspicions that Button may have been the one to attack them, in an attempt to persuade the Aurors to come to Hogwarts. "I mean, I don't think he's done any of the other attacks... but... I just figured I should say something."

He had expected Conrad to outright dismiss this idea, but to his surprise, the young man looked thoughtful. "Well... at first glance, it does seem far-fetched... But entirely possible. But even if it was him that one time, that doesn't explain who it could be all the other times..." he stared off into space. "Thanks for telling me about that, Albus."

Albus nodded, pleased that the exercise had not been a complete waste of time, and returned to his table, now solely occupied by Rose, Olivia, and Ewan, all of whom were bickering under their breath.

"But how would it make any difference?" Ewan was saying.

"What's going on?" Albus asked, sitting down.

"Rose is going on about the Sorting Hat again." Ewan said, glaring at Rose.

"I'm not 'going on' about anything, I'm just asking how it's supposed to play into everything that's going on around here. I mean, the Hat made an effort to tell us about it, it has to have some sort of purpose."

"And you think it told you because you're one of the four students?" Olivia asked dubiously.

Albus whirled his head around to stare at his cousin. "What?"

Rose had turned bright pink. "Well - maybe. Why else would it tell me about it?"

"It wanted me to come visit it, also," Albus said. "Am I one of the four, also?"

"Well - no, probably not - I don't know! I'm just saying, there has to be a reason it told me about it."

Olivia thought for a moment. "The Hat said that the four students would prevent 'great tragedy' caused by something bad. The thing is... the only attack that's been really stopped so far was that one tonight, and they're all third years. I mean - look, Malfoy got attacked, Guy and Laramie got attacked, Conrad and Albus got attacked..."

Albus shrugged. "And I don't see how it's worth worrying about. If the prophecy was already started, it's going to play out. Nothing we can do about it. I know _you_ know how that works, Rose." They had heard stories of the famous prophecy involving their father growing up.

Rose just frowned at him.

That night, Albus had a dream he hadn't had in a long while. As the hall jeered as him, and the tall man with the Sorting Hat told him to join the Slytherin table, Albus closed his eyes tight, and awoke with a start.

Breathing hard, he sat on the edge of his bed and reached for his water jug. _I don't belong in Slytherin, _he thought. _Not with the Slairs, and Crank, and Parker, and... and Malfoy. I'm not like them_.

But yet, he realized, there were others in that House that didn't act like them. In fact, most of the House was rather civilized; it was just the vocal minority that gave them the bad reputation.

_But still, _he thought. _It's Slytherin._

* * *

Bernard Button paced back and forth in front of the staff room fire. Gwendolyn Moorehead sat in an armchair reading a book, although she had not turned the page for quite some time. Filius Flitwick stared out the window, watching for any sign of movement on the grounds below. Clarianna Caydarah sat with legs crossed on the rug in front of the fire, gazing at the flames as they darted up the flue.

The door opened, and Neville Longbottom entered. "They're back in Gryffindor Tower. I told the Fat Lady not to let anybody out without a good reason."

"Do they know to keep quiet about what happened? We don't want to get everyone scared."

Neville suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "I told them, but I doubt it will do any good. They're kids, Headmaster. The whole story will be all over school by morning, if it isn't already."

Button nodded, and swallowed hard. "What do we do? Bringing in the Aurors was supposed to help things, not make them worse."

"I do not know that they are any worse than what they were before," Moorehead said, putting down her book. "At least the students escaped unharmed this time."

"I'm not entirely sure we're not dealing with a student," Clarianna said. Neville and the others turned to look at her, surprised. They had reached the foregone conclusion at the end of the previous semester that the mysterious attacker had to be an adult with access to the school. "Well, think about it - there's not many fully trained wizards that can be foiled by a couple of third years."

"Did you see the hole James's Stunner put in the wall?" Neville asked dubiously. "I probably would've gotten out of there after seeing that."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

"The fact of the matter is that whoever this person is, they have access to the grounds." Flitwick turned back from the window and hopped down off the chair he had been standing on. "We need to step up our security again. Accompany students from class to class - the younger ones, at least. Make curfew directly after dinner. Temporary restrictions, but necessary ones."

Neville put his head in his hands. "It's like the Chamber of Secrets all over again."

"Yes, well, let's hope this ends with considerably less excitement than _that_ incident did." Flitwick put his hands behind his back and closed his eyes.

Button swallowed hard again. "I agree with Filius. Move the curfew up. Accompany the students to class - the first through fourth years. Fifth year and up, they shouldn't need it." He fiddled in his pocket. "I need to send a letter to the Ministry and to the governors, informing them of this latest attack... and what we're doing about it." He said this last bit with a most unexpected spit of venom in his voice.

_Perhaps the governors and Ministry aren't happy with him?_ Neville could hardly blame the Ministry, but the governors had brought that particular situation upon themselves with the appointment of Button to the Headmaster's spot.

Button sat at the long table, pulling out a small roll of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a long white quill Neville recognized as a Sugar Quill. He raised an eyebrow at the sight. Button caught his eye and turned slightly red. "I have a bit of a Honeydukes weakness, I'm afraid." He smiled nervously.

Neville nodded._ Never would've guessed that_, he thought bitterly, eyeing Button's rotund frame. He caught Clarianna's eye and saw that she was suppressing a giggle, in spite of the situation. He glanced towards the door, then at the fireplace longingly. He wanted to get home. Dorothy would be very annoyed with him if he didn't get home in time to read her a story. Hannah wouldn't be very pleased, either.

The fates smiled upon him, however, and the door to the staff room swung open. Arcturus Harmon entered, throwing his cloak in the general direction of the hat rack and slamming the door behind him. "Nothing," he spat. "Not a trace. It's like he up and Disapparated."

"You're sure it's a he, then?" Clarianna asked.

"That's what the kids said, isn't it? That is was definitely a male voice? I didn't imagine that, did I?"

Clarianna recoiled under his glare. Arcturus Harmon was not a pleasant person to be around when he was angry. Neville put himself between the Auror and the very young Head of Hufflepuff House. "Arcturus. We're tightening up. No students out of their common rooms after seven, except for Astronomy classes. Teachers escorting anyone under fifth year to class."

Arcturus nodded and scowled. "And I'll tell you what else. I'm putting a permanent tail on each of the Potter kids. This isn't a coincidence."

Neville could've sworn the temperature in the room dropped. "You think someone's targeting James and Albus? Why?"

"I have no idea, but c'mon, Neville. You can't say you haven't noticed. Nearly every one of these incidents involved one of them." Neville had to agree. He had noticed - he just didn't want to admit it.

"Alright, then." Arcturus glanced around the room one last time, picked his cloak up off the floor, and departed. The teachers assembled in the staff room all exchanged grim looks.

Much later that night, Neville put on his warmest clothes, disillusioned himself, and mounted a broom. Flying had never been high on his list of favorite activities, but this was something he had to do. Bracing himself against the cold, he flew up to Gryffindor Tower. He peered in the window of the third year boys' dormitory and pointed his wand at where he knew James slept. When he was finished, he flew up two stories to the first years' dormitory at the very top of the tower, and repeated the process on Albus.

When he got back to his office, he unrolled a small roll of parchment. In black ink appeared the names "Albus Severus Potter" and "James Sirius Potter." Under their names was their location, followed by the names of all those in the room with them. Albus's name suddenly started blinking green, and Neville watched as his location changed from "First Year Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory" to "Gryffindor Boys' WC." He nodded solemnly at the paper before rolling it up and heading to bed.

Arcturus's Aurors weren't going to be the only ones keeping track of the Potters.


	17. Nadine

**Chapter 17**

**Nadine**

* * *

James, Fred, and Hannah seemed to have developed a fan base overnight. Stories of their exploits had somehow spread to the other Houses, and grown into far-fetched tales - however, the truth only served to make most students even more impressed. Seventh year Ravenclaw John Cho actually shook James's hand when he heard about the massive Stunner.

Meanwhile, Albus and his friends were becoming bogged down with schoolwork. Olivia also had her extra Transfiguration lessons (which Albus still had his questions about, but after the fiasco about Ewan's father, figured it was best to leave alone), and Ewan was often found with extra Charms and Transfiguration homework, as his wandwork left much to be desired. _And Quidditch hasn't even started back up yet,_ Albus thought one evening in late January, as he worked on an essay on goblin wars for History of Magic.

Although the Aurors' search of the castle and grounds had turned up fruitless, there had been no further attacks since the incident with James, Fred, and Hannah, leading many students to believe that the attacker had been scared off. Rose would frown every time she heard this, and attempt to engage Albus in another conversation about the Sorting Hat. Albus, on the other hand, was sick and tired of hearing about the Hat, and had taken to ignoring his cousin every time she brought it up.

The increased security was beginning to gnaw at everyone, as well. While it wasn't particularly irritating to have to be escorted from class to class, the otherwise constant confinement to Gryffindor Tower was beginning to make everyone a little stir crazy. The loss of D.A. meetings put a damper on Albus's mood, also. Third years and up still got their Hogsmeade trips, at least, but Albus and his fellow first years were counting down the days until their Muggle Studies camping trip, just because it would get them out and about.

With so much intensity in the air, it was a welcome relief to Albus when he got into an argument with Amy Ripley over Quidditch in Astronomy one night when Professor Sinistra had been foolish enough to put the Gryffindors next to the Ravenclaws.

"Hold on. You're saying we've got no chance against Hufflepuff?"

"Of course not. Your Chasers didn't score a single goal against Slytherin. I don't think that's ever been done before. That must have been rather embarrassing, really."

"We still won!"

"Yes, but you're in third place in the points ranking, behind Hufflepuff, and, of course, Ravenclaw. And we'll definitely put up a lot more points against Slytherin than you did."

Amy's condescending manner was beginning to seriously irk Albus. "That'll all be different after the next game." He turned back to his telescope

"Why, is your brother off the team?"

Ewan and Albert Johnson grabbed Albus by the shoulders as he spun around. He shrugged them off. He had no intention of hitting the irritating girl. She gave him a sly grin.

"James is loads better. You just wait and see." This was a bit of a stretch. Practices weren't due to resume until the following week, but James's performance before break hadn't exactly been inspiring.

"Well. We'll see who comes out on top in the last match in May." They both returned to their star charts. A moment later, Albus turned back.

"Why wait until then?"

"What?"

"Let's have a match. First years only. Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw." He was pleased to see that Amy looked unsettled by this proposition.

"And how are we going to do that with Aurors breathing down our necks at every step?" Indeed, there was an Auror on the rooftop with them at that very moment, surveying the grounds with arms crossed, wand in a leather sheath at her side. Albus had a suspicion that it wasn't Amy's neck the Auror was breathing down. He had seen this particular Auror outside nearly class he had attended for the past two weeks, ever since the attack on James, Fred, and Hannah. She wasn't making much of an attempt to hide the fact that she was following him, even going so far as to retrieve an errant Jumping Bean that had gotten away from him in Herbology.

"We can suggest it to Flitwick or N - Professor Longbottom." Old habits were hard to break. "You notice Quidditch and Hogsmeade visits are still on? They just don't want people wandering off around the castle by themselves. A big thing like Quidditch? That should be fine. I doubt the Aurors would have a problem with it." He looked to the witch standing by the door, who stared back at him with an blank expression.

"Well - do we really have enough people to make a full Quidditch team? I mean, most of the first years in my House don't play Quidditch." Their conversation was starting to draw attention from the students around them. Fortunately, Professor Sinistra was staring at the sky, oblivious to her surroundings.

"Well, then let's team up. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff against Ravenclaw and Slytherin." He hoped Amy would take the offer. He really wanted the opportunity to shut her up, but didn't want to have to join sides with the Slytherins to do it. He could see her weighing her options. Slytherin had two first years on their Quidditch team's practice squad. Hufflepuff had none.

"Alright. If the others will agree to it, I'm game."

Albus grinned at her. "Excellent."

Neville proved harder to convince than Albus expected. "You want to do what?"

"A first year Quidditch match! It'll be fun. We all need a little bit of fun."

Neville rubbed the side of his face tiredly. "Al, we've got a maniac on the loose around here. Haven't you noticed that security's been increased? It's for a reason."

"I know security's been increased. I asked the Auror you've had following me everywhere."

Neville hid his surprise well. "What did she say?"

"She didn't say anything, just looked at me funny. C'mon! This guy isn't going to attack anyone in a large setting like a Quidditch match. He's only gone after people alone or in small groups." Albus was surprised he had to fight so much on the issue.

Neville rubbed his eyes again. "Alright. I'll ask the Headmaster. No guarantees, though."

That was good enough for Albus. Quidditch practice officially resumed a few days later, and the Gryffindor team's practice went about as well as it could have gone. Albus caught the Snitch twice during practice, and James went the whole practice without fouling somebody. The best news came at the end of practice, however, when Neville came down to the pitch and told Albus that Button had approved the plan for a first year match.

"It'll be the weekend between the Ravenclaw/Slytherin match and yours," Neville told him. "You and Amy will be Captains, and be responsible for recruiting and training your teams. Tell Madam Hooch when you want the pitch for practice, and she'll book it for you. She'll also be refereeing."

The task ahead of Albus suddenly seemed much more daunting. "I didn't expect it to be so... all out."

Neville raised an eyebrow at him. "We take our Quidditch very seriously here at Hogwarts."

* * *

Albus held open tryouts for the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff First Year Quidditch Team. He also accepted everyone that tried out, since only six other students showed up.

"Alright, who plays what position?" he asked the three Hufflepuffs present. Much to his displeasure, Anteres Wirre had been one of the few to volunteer.

"I'm a Chaser," he said confidently, nose in the air.

"Beater," said one of the other Hufflepuffs, whose name Albus had never quite been able to interpret through the boy's thick Glaswegian accent. He had settled on calling him "Emerson," since that was the closest he could come to understanding what the boy said.

Daphne Akers shrugged. "I've never played Quidditch before."

Albus stared at her. "Then why are you out here?"

She shrugged at him again. "Wirre wanted to make sure you didn't make the team all Gryffindors."

Albus glared at Wirre, who blushed bright pink. "Alright, we'll put you at Chaser. Can you catch a ball?"

"Probably."

"Can you fly well?"

"I'd like to think so."

Albus crossed his arms. "You weren't this sarcastic when you were soaking wet and terrified on the first night here."

She turned nearly the same color as her hair at the mention of their first meeting, when Albus had offered her a Warming Potion. "Well, I've gotten used to this whole 'magic' thing, now."

As it turned out, Daphne was a natural, easily outplaying Wirre and nearly Torvald Nova as well. The other members of his team seemed to gel fairly easily, as well. Their play wasn't nearly as cohesive and seamless as the House team, but after their first practice, Albus was feeling far more confident about his plan than when Neville had first confirmed the match.

Torvald and Sebastian had spied on the Ravenclaw/Slytherin team, and reported that despite Amy's claims to the contrary, they did not have any more people turn out for tryouts than did the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs. Scorpius Malfoy had apparently gotten into a tiff with Amy over who was to play Seeker. Amy had thrown a fit, and now Malfoy was playing Chaser.

Despite the first years' excitement over a Quidditch match of their own, most of the older students viewed the first year match as a joke. Even in their own House. "No, no, I'm sure it'll be a good game," Albus's cousin Dominique said one evening. "Everyone loves games that end 200-50 after six hours." She rolled around laughing with her airhead friends.

Albus, however, was confident that his Chasers would put up more than five goals, and that he would catch the Snitch in far less than six hours. Torvald, Wirre, and Daphne worked well together, and Daphne was quickly picking up the more complicated aspects of the game. She was actually seen explaining player-to-player coverage vs. zone coverage while on defense to Wirre at one point. The Hufflepuff Beater, whom Albus had learned was indeed named Kilbrie Emerson, was slightly less than spectacular. Fortunately, Sebastian McKinley's play more than made up for it. Albert Johnson rounded the group out at Keeper, and Albus's only complaint with him was that he had a tendency to stick to the letter of the rules, and as such, let a couple opportunities slip by.

"C'mon, Albert, you could've passed it out to Torvald and cleared the Quaffle before Wirre knew what was going on!"

Wirre scowled at the hidden insult.

"He hadn't cleared the scoring area yet, I couldn't!" Albert protested.

"He was close enough! I doubt a referee would've called that."

Another good thing about the return of the Quidditch season was that it kept his mind off the constantly looming issue of the Sorting Hat and the attacks. Rose continued to be bothered by the inconsistencies in the whole thing, as did Olivia (albeit to a much lesser extent), but Albus and Ewan were just as happy to not have to think about who was supposed to be in what House. Albus suspected his father's background had something to do with Ewan's worries.

February closed with Ravenclaw delivering on Amy's promise to thrash Slytherin. Ravenclaw now had such a vast lead over the other Houses that Albus was beginning to worry that even if Gryffindor beat both Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, they wouldn't have enough points to secure the Cup.

The following Saturday came too soon for Albus's liking. As he ate breakfast, he couldn't help but think that perhaps his team of first years was not as good as he would've liked them, that perhaps it was foolish to offer the House with more of the better players to Amy, that perhaps he was about to make a total fool of himself.

As they flew a warm-up lap around the pitch, Albus heard a few cheers from the stands below. Far from being packed like they were at regular Quidditch matches, the stands were nearly empty. All the first years were in attendance, as were a few handfuls of older students. James, Fred, and Hannah sat in the teachers' section with their feet up on the seats in front of them, apparently very pleased with their seat selection.

Albus nodded to his team and flew to the center of the pitch to shake hands with Amy. She gave him a cocky grin, and Albus once again worried that he was about to be made a fool. "Alright, a clean match, then." Madam Hooch tossed the Quaffle into the air, blew her whistle, and away they went.

Albus's first thought was that the stadium was far too quiet. Fred apparently also felt so, as he decided to assume the role of commentator. His magically magnified voice soon echoed through the near-deserted stadium, offering his own unique perspective on the match.

"Nova has the Quaffle, passes to the annoying Hufflepuff player, who passes it to the not-annoying Hufflepuff player, who passes back to the annoying one, who - oh, he dropped it! And now some bloke from the other team has it, and looks like he'll score - but Johnson saves it!"

Albus breathed a sigh of relief as Albert blocked the shot from the Ravenclaw Osbert Walsh. He continued scanning the pitch for the Snitch as Daphne received the Quaffle, ducked around Mordecai Crank, and took off up the pitch. At some point, someone must've gotten a list of the names of the players to Fred, because he stopped using such colorful names as "Scottie," "that ugly brute" and "the Neanderthal with a bat" to describe the players.

"Akers with the Quaffle, passes to Nova - Score! 10-0 Gryffindor! Well, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff." The fans wearing red and yellow (the players had settled on all wearing their individual House colors, mainly because Anteres Wirre had refused to wear any color other than yellow) erupted in cheers. A minute later, Scorpius Malfoy tied the score up.

Only five minutes later, Albus missed an opportunity to end the game early. The Snitch was hovering low near the center of the field. He flattened himself out and dived for it, but before he could get to it, Amy Ripley flew directly in front of him, causing him to have to swerve to avoid a collision. "What d'you think you're doing?" He shouted at her. She smirked at him and flew off again. The Snitch had taken advantage of the opportunity to disappear.

The game began to pick up speed. Before long, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff held a narrow 70-60 lead. It didn't get ugly until a Slytherin Beater hit Torvald square in the small of his back with a Bludger. Gasping for air, he looked to Madam Hooch, who shook her head. "No penalty!"

Albus stared at her incredulously. "That was a cheap shot!"

"It was perfectly legal, Potter!"

Albus sputtered at her, but she shook her head and blew her whistle. He rolled his eyes and resumed his scanning of the pitch. The game was getting dirtier: Not long after the hit on Torvald, Sebastian aimed a retaliatory Bludger at the offending Beater. Needless to say, Albus was outraged when Madam Hooch blew her whistle.

"A Beater is not allowed to hit a Bludger at an opposing Beater, unless the opposing Beater is in the process of hitting the other Bludger! It's in the book! Rule 189!"

Albus was also displeased when Sebastian hit his next Bludger at Madam Hooch, causing yet another penalty. They were now down by a goal, and tensions were growing high. The second biggest shock of the entire match for Albus was when he looked at the stands, and realized older students were trickling in, apparently having heard that the first years could actually play.

"Nova in possession of the Quaffle again, passes - intercepted by Crank! Crank, up the field, only the Keeper to beat - and he gets it. Better luck next time, Keeper. Wirre with the Quaffle now, fakes a pass to Nova and keeps it for himself. Wirre dodges a Bludger, dodges Walsh, dodges - er, strike that, doesn't dodge the other Bludger. Walsh now with the Quaffle, drops it down to Malfoy - Malfoy scores. 110-80, Slytherin and Ravenclaw."

Albus grimaced. The match was beginning to drag. He was quickly learning that his team didn't have the same endurance as the Slytherins and Ravenclaws. Meanwhile, the Snitch was lurking unseen, doing its best impersonation of an object that was not magically charmed to fly around and be captured. A sudden flash of gold caught Albus's attention. _There it is!_ He shot straight upwards, where the snitch fluttered merrily above the action. A great cheer rose from the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs as they saw him stretch his arm out - until a blue blur rocketed in from the side, knocking his hand aside and sending the Snitch squirting off in an unseen direction. Albus roared with frustration as Amy circled him, not looking quite as proud of herself as she did the first time she blocked his attempt. Albus suddenly realized what her game was. _She doesn't think she can catch it with me after it, too. She's waiting for me to not be there, so she can get a clean shot at it. _He glared after the girl. _That's twice. There isn't going to be a third time._

Albus flew back down into the fray, dodging a Bludger sent by the same Slytherin that had nearly unseated Torvald. The score was now 130-90. It was still close, but he didn't like that the Ravenclaws and Slytherins were building upon their lead.

"Akers with the Quaffle. Ducks around Malfoy, dodges a Bludger sent by Zimbre. Passes to Nova, who - WOW - I don't think I've seen anyone move that quick. James, you should take notes."

Albus could only imagine the look on James's face as Torvald did a barrel roll around Crank and flipped the ball over to Wirre before anyone knew what had happened. Albus had to admit, Torvald was an incredibly agile flyer, especially for only flying on a Nimbus 2500.

"Wirre in the scoring area - SCORE! 130-100, Ravenclaw and Slytherin still - AL'S SEEN THE SNITCH!"

Albus had indeed seen the Snitch. However, he was not flying towards it. He was speeding towards a spot near the center of the stands, and Amy Ripley was flying to intercept him. It was truly unfortunate for her, then, when Albus suddenly changed direction and blew past her, towards where the Snitch was hovering above the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff goal posts.

"I don't know what he's - it was a feint! He got Ripley facing the wrong way, and now it's Potter with at least a full body's length on her, although she's gaining on him..."

Albus grimaced in concentration, flattening himself to the handle of his broom. He could feel, more than see, Amy coming up along side of him. But he still had a lead on her. He grinned as he stretched his arm out for the Snitch, only a meter away...

It was then that Albus received his biggest shock of the afternoon.

_"CONQUIESCE SPIRITUS!"_

A dark and terrible voice sounded from only a few meters in front of Albus. A blue jet of light corkscrewed towards him. His eyes opened wide, and he rolled underneath his broom to avoid it. It took him only a second to realize the consequences of his actions. The blue light hit Amy square in the chest. Her eyes widened in shock, and with a very small "oh!" fell backwards off her broom as the crowd screamed in horror.

Albus now found himself to be the one in bad position. He wheeled his broom around and dived after her falling body. Not for nothing, however, was Albus's broom regarded as the best in the business. The Valkyrie accelerated faster than he could've imagined, and Albus grabbed the back of Amy's robes after only about two seconds of fall time. Unfortunately, by this point, they were only about thirty feet off the ground. Albus struggled to pull the girl onto his broom and level them both out. He could feel his grip slipping. Suddenly, another red blur came in from his side, and Albert Johnson was there, supporting Amy enough for Albus to get a firmer grip on her.

Unfortunately once again, they were sinking too fast, and the three of them hit the ground with a sickening crunch.

Albus laid on his back, gasping for air that wasn't coming. He could hear Albert moaning in pain, but what concerned him the most was that he was hearing no sound whatsoever from Amy. The air finally came, a little at a time, and he became aware of a small crowd of people around them.

"Move!" an authoritative voice snapped, and Professor Moorehead pushed through the crowd and knelt down next to them. Stars winked in front of Albus's eyes, and everything went black for a moment.

When he came to again, Moorehead had been joined by Neville. They were saying something to him, but for the life of him, Albus couldn't understand what they were saying. _They should come closer... I can barely hear them; they're so far away..._ He blinked, trying to clear the stars, and stared, intrigued, at Neville's lips. It was almost like he was talking...

_Wait..._ He was talking. And so was Moorehead. "Al, you need to let go. Just let go, it's okay." Albus lost what little breath he had in a panic. Was he dying? Were they telling him to go ahead and let himself slip away? This did not sound like a good idea to Albus, and as he struggled to remain conscious, he realized what they were saying. "Albus, let go of her, it's okay." He looked to his side, and realized he still had an arm wrapped tightly across Amy's chest. _Okay... I can do that..._ He let his arm relax, and felt a weight lift.

Albus did not slip back into unconsciousness. Rather, he laid on his back on the Quidditch pitch as Madam Pomfrey ran her wand over the three of them, whispering incantations as she went.

"Gwendolyn. We need to get her inside, now." Albus was now conscious enough to see Professor Moorehead conjure a stretcher. A minute later, her and Madam Pomfrey were gone, along with the stretcher bearing Amy's limp form.

"Let me through! I said LET ME THROUGH!" Albus was just considering pushing himself onto his elbows when James came barreling through the crowd with his usual lack of finesse. His face was an unsightly shade of green as he dropped to his hands and knees next to Albus. "Are you okay?"

Neville gently pulled James back to his feet. "Madam Pomfrey said he may have a concussion, but other than that, he'll be fine."

"Fine? He just fell from the sky and landed on his face! He's not fine!"

"I - I think I'm okay." Albus pushed himself up onto his elbows, and the surrounding crowd protested.

"Damn it... Here comes... I'll be right back. DON'T get up." Neville scowled at something Albus couldn't see. As soon as he was out of sight, Albus sat the rest of the way up and looked around, taking in his surroundings for the first time.

Nearly a quarter of the school had to be surrounding him and Albert, who was also sitting up, massaging his wrist. He nodded at Albus. "You alright?"

Albus nodded, but quickly stopped. The small action alone hurt his head. "I'm okay. You?"

Albert frowned at his wrist. "I think I've got a sprain, but other than that, I'm okay. What happened?"

Albus was having trouble focusing his eyes. "I think... I think I was wrong." He slumped back onto the ground, James falling to his side again. "They would attack a Quidditch match."

Only a short time later, Neville came to collect him. "We need you to tell us what happened while it's still fresh," he said as he pulled Albus to his feet. Albus wasn't entirely sure he would be able to recall what happened, but didn't say anything, as his stomach had given a horrible lurch upon standing. Aided by Neville, he staggered away, vaguely aware of Rose, Ewan, and Olivia trying to follow him off the pitch, but being deflected by Neville.

"Alright. You're actually invited in here this time," Neville said after a few minutes. "Ordered, actually." Albus was surprised to discover he had been walking the whole time, and were now standing outside the Headmaster's office. Neville opened the staircase using a mysterious female name, and escorted the addled Albus to the top, where a smoking blue potion was waiting on the Headmaster's desk. Button was nowhere to be seen. "Good. Madam Pomfrey said she was going to send something up - drink this, and wait here." Neville made sure Albus drank the bitter liquid before disappearing back down the stairs.

Albus's head began clearing almost instantly. He could soon think clearly enough to realize that he was in a considerable amount of pain. "Urg..." He leaned over and put his head in his hands between his legs. He remained there until the nausea faded, then looked up - and saw the Sorting Hat sitting square in the middle of the desk. He blinked. Surely the Hat hadn't been there a moment before?

Later, Albus wouldn't know whether to attribute what he did next to delirium from what appeared to be a severe concussion, or an internal desire to know more about the topic that had plagued him the entire year. Whatever the reason, Albus looked around to make sure he was indeed alone, then reached out, picked up the Sorting Hat, and placed it gingerly on his head.

_Hello?_

The Hat was silent.

_I need to know_.

There was a moment of silence. Then, Albus jumped slightly as a harsh and grating - yet oddly familiar - voice filled his ears.

_**1000 years, students have been Sorted where they belong**_

_**The time has come when the Sorting shall be incorrect by four:**_

_**The Strong and Fair shall wear Red**_

_**The Clever and Wise shall wear Green**_

_**The Ambitious and Cunning shall wear Blue**_

_**The Brave and Bold shall wear Yellow**_

_**These four souls will avert great tragedy**_

_**But tragedy still will come**_

_**And soul shall depart body**_

_**Never to return**_

Albus whipped the Hat off his head and threw it back on the desk, taking deep breaths for the first time since crashing on the Quidditch pitch. He stared at it, shaking his head. "No..."

"It would appear as though you did not like what you heard." A voice broke the silence and Albus jumped again. He looked around frantically for the source of the calm, scratchy voice. He finally realized the portrait of Albus Dumbledore was gazing at him over half-moon spectacles. His jaw fell open.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"But still, you did. It is of no matter to me; I am merely here to give the occupant of this office guidance." Dumbledore smiled at the younger Albus. "And you are currently an occupant."

Albus stayed silent, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say. The dull pain in his head thudded on.

"Not many years ago, another boy came into this office and put on that very same Sorting Hat, also looking for answers. His reaction, so I am told, was very similar to yours. He did not hear what he wanted to hear. Alas, times were tough then, very similar to now. It was a difficult thing to hear, but in the end? It helped him learn more about himself than he had ever imagined."

Albus blinked. "It's not to do with me... at least, I don't think it is... Well, maybe."

Dumbledore smiled again. "Then do not trouble yourself with it. What you cannot control should not control you." There was another moment of awkward silence before Dumbledore spoke again, this time to the occupant of another portrait who was apparently lurking just out of sight. "He has her eyes... Well fine, then, have it your way."

The door to the office swung open suddenly. Albus spun around to see Button, Neville, and Flitwick enter. "Potter... Are you alright? How's your head?" Button seemed genuinely concerned.

"It's better. I actually know where I am now."

Button paled a little bit at the offbeat humor. "Witnesses said they saw a spell, but no caster. The Aurors were in the air as soon as it happened, but they didn't catch anybody. Did you see anybody? Anything at all?"

Albus shook his head. "I just saw the spell. It was a blue spirally one, like the one on James and - err..." He turned red as he realized he had just incriminated his brother, and in turn Fred and Hannah, who was not supposed to have talked about what happened.

Neville waved him off, however. "It was definitely blue? And moved like a corkscrew? You're not just thinking that because you heard about the spell?"

"Er - I don't think so. No. I mean, yes - wait." Albus's head still hurt. "It was definitely blue, and it was moving weird. And I heard the incantation."

All three teachers' eyes opened wide. "Why didn't you say so?" Button practically shouted. "What was it?"

Albus struggled to remember what happened just before diving and crashing, but truth be told, he was having trouble remembering how exactly he had ended up in the Headmaster's office to begin with. "I think... it was something ending with 'spiritus.' I remember that because... because it sounded like... spirit..." He was not still so far gone that he missed the fearful looks passed between the teachers. He remembered the last two lines of the prophecy the Sorting Hat had just read to him. "Is Amy okay? What happened?"

"Madam Pomfrey is attending to her, but she appears to be stable," Flitwick squeaked. "What else was in the spell? Do try to remember, Potter!"

Albus closed his eyes and tried to reconstruct the scene in his head. There was the Snitch... and there was Amy coming up next to him... He opened his eyes. "'_Conquisce. Conquiesce Spiritus."_

The teachers all stared at him, jaws open and puzzled looks on their faces.

"What?" he shouted, frustrated at the one way flow of information. "What's going on?"

Button shook his head. "Can you get to the Hospital Wing by yourself?" Neville asked.

"Do I have to?" Albus asked.

All three teachers nodded in unison, their faces still showing a mixture of fear, horror, and confusion.

Albus sighed, but stood, and as he did, caught a glimpse of the previously empty portrait next to Dumbledore's. Staring at him from the paint with an unreadable look was a man with black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. Albus felt a jolt straight to his heart.

It was the same man who always held the Sorting Hat in his dreams.

* * *

The door closed behind Albus. Button rubbed his eyes. Neville shared a worried look with Flitwick. "I've never heard that spell before."

"Neither have I," Flitwick squeaked. "But based on the incantation, I would hazard a guess - "

"'Quieting the soul,'" Button finished, now staring at the desk. "Probably not designed to kill - rather, to put the victim in a deep sleep. Almost like a coma."

Neville was surprised at Button's knowledge on the matter. "How do we undo it?"

Button shook his head and raised his shoulders hopelessly. "I don't know. I've never heard of that spell, either."

The room fell silent for a moment. Neville stared grimly at the Sorting Hat. "Is that what the prophecy was referring to?" he asked finally.

Button gave him an annoyed look. "The prophecy is rubbish. This is an attack; an act of terrorism, not the result of some inane ramblings of an addled mind." Neville bristled, and Button balked. "I'm sorry. Not addled, just - I know - I'm sorry. But I refuse to treat this as anything other than a conventional series of attacks." Neville continued to glare at Button.

Flitwick glanced between the two men, and decided his presence would be best suited anywhere but in the current environment. "I will go check on Miss Ripley," he said, and hurried down the staircase.

"Why do you hate the process of Divination so much?" Neville asked, crossing his arms.

"That's rubbish. I don't hate it."

"Yes you do. I have never seen anyone hold so much contempt for the subject. I've seen many people who don't put much stock in it, but I have never seen anyone _despise_ it the way you do. You even go out of your way to shut Trelawney out in staff meetings. What is it?"

"You're imagining things."

"I'm not imagining things at all. I showed you that prophecy over the summer, and the first thing you did was tell me to throw it out and forget I ever heard it." Neville was determined to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

"And I still stand by that statement."

"I don't know how you can sit there and say that, after all that has happened - "

"BECAUSE IT'S RUBBISH! IT'S WHAT IT IS, COMPLETE AND UTTER NONSENSE!" Button exploded, standing up. His face had resumed its usual shade of red.

Neville stared at him, shocked.

Button slowly sat down again, mopping his face with a handkerchief. He gave a deep sigh. "When I was young - many years ago - I had a beautiful fiancée. We wanted desperately to get married, but her father... he was a proud and noble man, and wanted his daughter to marry someone more... honorable. Someone who fought dark wizards, or tamed dragons, or hunted vampires." Button shook his head. "Not some paper-pusher from the Ministry. My fiancée was deeply devoted to her family, and didn't want to go against her father's wishes."

Neville didn't know what to say, so he remained silent.

"One day, we were in _Rue du Sorcier _- Paris, you know - and Alexandra Bergeron was in town. My fiancée talked me into getting our fortunes read. I had never given Divination much thought or appreciation, but I figured, 'she's one of the most famous Seers known today, what could it hurt?'" Button had gone pale again. "She looked into her crystal ball, and told us the most incredible story. She said that she knew something was keeping us apart. That a noble deed was required for us to truly be together." The Headmaster's eyes were glistening. "She said - she said that I would save an innocent life, and that would be enough to break the barrier that was keeping us apart."

Button was making no attempt to hide the fact that he was very near tears. Neville couldn't help but feel pity for the broken man in front of him.

"The very next day, something happened. We were checking out of the Muggle inn we had stayed at, and there was a couple behind us. Middle-aged, looked like they'd seen better days. Well, the husband must've still been liquored up from the night before, and he was manhandling his wife. She finally had enough of him, and shoved him away. He didn't take to that." A tear fell down Button's cheek. "He pulled out a knife. And I saw it. He lunged for her. And do you know what I did?"

Neville had a feeling, but was reluctant to voice it. "You let it happen?"

Button stared hard at him, tears now flowing openly. "No. I grabbed his arm, and I threw him away. I saved the woman's life. But the man... when I threw him, he fell into my fiancée. The knife hit her in the leg and cut her femoral artery. Nadine was dead in less than three minutes."

Neville's mouth fell open in horror.

"And that, Neville, is why I don't believe in prophecies."

* * *

_Author's Note!_

_Hi_

_Six (and a half) chapters to go! Hopefully this chapter succeeded at providing a few answers, several questions, and a lot of shock value.  
_

_Read? Review! And feel free to ask questions if you have any. I will likely answer them, unless the answers are a plot point (or the lack of answers are a plot point)._

_I hope you're enjoying the story, and may you all have many happy adventures._

_S  
_


	18. Anger & Suspense

**Chapter 18**

**Anger & Suspense**

* * *

Albus blinked. Olivia blinked back. "He's awake," she called. A rustling of movement told Albus that he was about to be surrounded by people, and indeed he was. James, Rose, and Ewan appeared at his side, but Madam Pomfrey soon shooed everyone away.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Any double vision? Nausea?"

Albus blinked again. "No. Just a headache."

She tsked. "Well, that's to be expected when your brain bounces against your skull." She lifted a vial of the same blue potion he had taken before. "Drink this." She moved away to attend to an unseen patient behind a white curtain. Albus had a suspicion about who was behind that curtain.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Madam Pomfrey said you came in here, told her your head hurt, and then passed out." James was still as pale as he had been on the Quidditch pitch.

Albus was looking at the curtain in the corner. "What's going on with..."

"They don't know," Rose looked close to tears. "She's not waking up. She's not... but she won't wake up."

"Her sister's in there with her," Olivia said. "She said their parents are on their way."

"Did they catch whoever - "

"No." James scowled. "The Aurors went after him right away, but they lost him."

"Not because they didn't try, though," Olivia said. "They didn't even try to catch Amy; they just went straight off at that spot, firing off whatever they could think to shoot." She frowned. "You would think they would've tried to rescue her, first, since their job is to protect to the students."

Albus felt a twinge of annoyance. "Their job is to catch Dark wizards. That's what they're trained to do, and it was probably just a reflex for them to go after whoever it was shooting the spells."

Olivia looked taken aback. She had apparently forgotten that Albus's father was the Head of the Auror Office. She opened her mouth again, but before she could say anything, the door to the hospital wing swung open and a very tall woman in hysterics rushed in, followed by a short, balding man who was even paler than James.

Albus's visitors exchanged glances. "We should leave," James mumbled. "Don't want to intrude..." They shared sympathetic looks with Albus and left. Albus watched the curtain as the woman's sobs carried over the top.

_She's lucky to be alive_, Albus thought. _If we hadn't caught her, there could've been a great... a great..._ He blanched as the memory of the Sorting Hat and that terrible yet oddly familiar voice came flowing to the front of his consciousness. Someone was going to die. And the four people... _What was it? The Fair shall wear... Red? Blue? Those have to mean House colors. But what else was there?_ He struggled to remember the Sorting Hat's exact words, but came up empty. An image popped into his mind's eye: Four faceless first years darting and weaving around a cloaked intruder, firing spells that bounced away with no effect. The throbbing in his head was returning, aided and abetted by the racking sobs coming from Amy's parents. He eventually drifted off to sleep, plagued by nightmares of hissing snakes of every color.

* * *

Albus left the hospital wing in good physical health on Sunday, and was present (in his usual groggy state) in class on Monday morning. The whole school was in a subdued mood after the events on Saturday. At breakfast, Button had announced that Quidditch matches and all other extracurriculars would continue - an announcement which had stunned many, Albus included. He had been sure that the season would be called off, and they would be even more restricted in their movements.

"This is an attempt to scare us into changing our way of life," Button had said, looking far more confident than Albus had ever seen him. "We must not give in. The moment we cave to acts of terrorism, we've lost. Be vigilant, but do not sacrifice activities you would ordinarily pursue."

Albus had noticed his Auror shadow was still following him. Another one was attached to James, although his brother seemed unaware of the small but formidable looking man tailing him in the corridors.

He had decided not to tell his friends about what the Sorting Hat had told him. At least, not until he could recall the whole thing. He could remember various adjectives, but he didn't know if they were the right ones, and he couldn't place them with the appropriate (inappropriate?) colors of the Houses. Frustrated, he tried to put the matter aside, only to have his mind drift to even more unpleasant topics.

Classes that week passed in a fog. Albus's thoughts kept drifting back to the hospital wing, where Amy still lay unconscious. On numerous occasions, one of his friends would catch him staring off into the distance, unaware of the world around him. This resulted in disaster during Tuesday morning's Herbology session, when Albus failed to realize he was still holding the Glandular Inkplant he was supposed to be repotting. The Inkplant, however, realized that it was not where it was supposed to be, and proved its etymology all over Albus's face and robes. In Charms the following morning, he accidentally set the hem of Daphne Akers's robes alight when he was supposed to be practicing combination locking charms.

Albus realized that his lack of attentiveness might prove more costly in classes such as Transfiguration or Defense Against the Dark Arts - but he hadn't counted on the manner in which his preoccupation would rear its ugly head.

"Albus!" Olivia's voice snapped him out of his reverie during their Thursday session of Defense.

"What? What's happening?" He looked around. The rest of the students in the class were shuffling through their bags and taking out books. "Oh."

"Albus, just ask to go to the hospital wing. Maybe Madam Pomfrey can give you an Alertness Solution, or - I don't know - talk to you about it, or - "

"I don't want to talk about it!" Albus felt his face flush as he rummaged in his bag, pulled out his book, and stared at the cover in silence. Phinean was shuffling papers on his desk in as menacing a fashion as one could shuffle papers. It appeared to be one of his bad days. The professor looked up.

"I have graded your most recent homeworks, and was generally disappointed by the obvious lack of research most of you put into your work. Even the best of you - " Distracted as Albus was, he did notice the pale professor's eyes flicker towards him for a moment. Despite being in the middle of being reamed out, he couldn't help but feel a small glow of pride rise inside him. " - have much room for improvement." He began passing back the assignment.

_I'm not really that good, though, am I?_ Albus thought.

Phinean passed in front of him, handing Olivia back her long scroll on emergency healing spells.

_If I was any good, Amy Ripley might not be laying good as dead in the hospital wing._ The glow inside him was fading.

Phinean passed by again, this time aiming for Ewan, seated on Albus's other side.

_It's not even really a matter of knowing the spells. I was able to dodge the spell. I should've been able to get Amy out of the way, too. I'd bet Dad would've been able to do that._

Phinean stopped in front of Albus and dropped his essay in front of him without saying a word. Phinean had apparently been in a more pleasant mood when grading the essays: A red O was scrawled at the top.

Albus felt the glow returning. _Then again, I am just a first year. It'll come in time. I doubt Dad was so brave and selfless his first year._ He nodded. _It's not my fault Amy's hurt. It's whoever attacked her's fault. I can't be blaming myself. _He sighed. He had gone through some variation of this debate every ten minutes for the past five days. He knew it wasn't accomplishing anything, but he couldn't help his mind from returning to it. Mere classwork wasn't enough to distract him. Even Quidditch practice that week hadn't been able to take his mind off the events of the weekend. He hadn't caught the Snitch once during practice, and had even earned his first reprimand from Conrad for being caught idle in midair. He had received his second reprimand from Rufus Underhill in the form of a Bludger to the shoulder. He frowned. They had their second official match coming up on Saturday, yet it felt far more distant to Albus. As though he were merely viewing it on a Muggle television. Albus didn't often feel detached from reality, but the feeling was happening to him often this week.

"Al!" Olivia hissed at him again.

He started. Phinean was at the front of the class again, detailing the subjects they would be covering for the remainder of term.

"Albus, go to the hospital wing! You're not right!" Olivia looked concerned - another expression that appeared foreign on her face.

"I'm not going. There's nothing wrong with me, I'm just... distracted."

"Well, obviously! If you ask me, you're traumatized."

Albus gave her a dubious look.

"You don't think so?" she whispered underneath Phinean, who was now talking about historical origins of the Dark Arts. "Every ten minutes, you're staring at something random with your mouth open. You're not even staring _at _whatever it is, you're staring _through _it."

Albus shook his head and returned his attention to the front of the classroom, determined to prove her wrong.

"Look, it's not your fault," she said, echoing his counter-guilt. "And I'm sorry I said what I said about the Aurors. If anybody can catch this guy, it's going to be them."

Albus remained unmoved. He still hadn't completely forgiven her for that careless remark.

"Plus, if you hadn't moved, it would be you in the hospital wing, and I don't think I - "

"Ellis!"

Olivia's mouth snapped shut and her eyes opened wide as Phinean glared in her direction.

"Is there a reason you are talking while I am?"

"No, Professor. Sorry."

"Are you sure? Because you were saying quite a lot for not having a reason to talk."

"Sorry, Professor," Olivia echoed. Albus could tell she was making an effort to control herself.

"I'm sure you are." Phinean sneered, and Albus sensed Olivia's uncharacteristic control stretching and threatening to break. "Is there something you would like to say to your classmates for forcing me to stop class to deal with you?"

The calm shattered with resounding force. "No, but I do have a question for you," Olivia snapped. "Did someone piss in your tea this morning, or do you usually take it that way?"

Albus's jaw dropped. For the first time that week, he was completely focused on something other than the previous weekend. The silence in the room was deafening. Every single student was staring at Olivia, thunderstruck.

Phinean was just as shocked as the rest of them, but came to his senses sooner. "Detention," he hissed. "Every evening at seven. For the next three weeks. And the Headmaster will hear about this."

Olivia glared at him. Phinean glared back. The standoff lasted for nearly thirty seconds, until Olivia finally rolled her eyes, shook her head, and raised her gaze to a spot several feet above Phinean's head.

"Well then. I trust we can resume class without any interruptions. Mr. Potter, close your mouth and put your eyes back in your head." Albus was still gaping at his friend in wide-eyed shock. Phinean thumbed through the textbook. "We will begin with Ancient Dark Magic. Turn to page 394." Albus flipped to the requisite page, read the title, and instantly sensed trouble.

_Dark Magic Origins: Ancient Greece_

He glanced to the Mediterranean girl next to him and saw Olivia's face tightening again. He held his breath, but she mercifully remained silent.

"Dark magic as an active practice first began in Egypt; however, the magic we know today has its roots in Greece." Phinean paused, narrowed his eyes, and continued, neither looking at the book nor reading from it. "The Greeks were the first to apply a structure to the magical community, as opposed to the sorcerers that existed in ancient Egypt, who usually functioned either alone or in small groups. However, the ancient Greeks had a... primitive way of looking at magic."

Olivia scowled. Albus wasn't sure why she would take offense, even if she did have Greek ancestry. _It's not like _she's_ "primitive," or anything._

"Rather than realizing that any type of magic could be done by anybody with the ability, they believed that certain people could only do certain types of magic. If a wizard or witch needed a potion made, they would go to the local potioneer, rather than simply brew it themselves. If they needed protective spells cast, they would go to a warlock."

Something about this didn't sound quite right to Albus. Apparently, it didn't sit right with Rose, either.

"But Professor," she raised her hand. "Isn't that basically what we do today? I mean, if we need a complicated potion, it's better to have someone at an apothecary make it for you. And there's entire businesses devoted to Defense Against the Dark Arts out there. If you need a Fidelius Charm cast, they'll come and set it up for you."

Phinean narrowed his eyes at her. "The difference between us and primitive sorcerers, Weasley, is that we know we have the capacity to do any type of magic if we work at it for long enough." Ewan snorted. His wandwork was still subpar. "The magical community of ancient Greece held onto the foolish, completely irrational belief that certain people had particular powers."

Albus couldn't help but feel that Phinean was trying his hardest to aggravate Olivia by insulting her heritage. And succeeding, judging by the grating sound coming from her teeth.

Rose wasn't satisfied. "But sir... How do we know that's really what they thought?"

"Is what's written in the book in front of you not enough?"

"Well, you said it yourself, it's an irrational thought. And it was a very long time ago; facts could've been distorted since then. See, on the next page it says most of the witches and wizards in Athens were wiped out when Rome invaded. Isn't it possible that the Roman wizards tried to make the Greek wizards look like fools? Professor Binns told us on the first day of class: 'History is just the victors' version of events.'"

"The point is not whether or not they knew they could do any type of magic!" Phinean spat. "It is that they glamorized ordinary people as having special, unique gifts, when in fact, all they were doing was uncontrolled accidental magic!" He glared at Rose, breathing heavily.

Rose shrank in her seat. The classroom was again so silent Albus thought the slightest noise might bring the walls crumbling down around them. Olivia stared straight at the wall, not moving an inch. Even the Slair twins were staring at Phinean, alarmed. A sudden gust of wind whistled past the window, breaking the silence and making them all jump. Albus suddenly realized what, besides Phinean's hostility, bothered him about the professor's rant.

"Sir? What does this have to do with Dark Magic?"

Phinean appeared lost for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Because, Potter, by glamorizing people who showed an innateness for terrible acts, they ensured they would continue those terrible acts. It's a trend we still see today, unfortunately."

Phinean seemed to calm down as the class went on. He was nowhere near cheerful by the time the bell rang, however, assigning them all a twelve inch essay on the flaws of the Greek magical culture.

As soon as they were out of earshot of the classroom, the students all began hissing excitedly about the class.

"What's his problem?"

"Got dumped by a Greek girl once, if you ask me."

"He must be bi-polar." The rest of the Gryffindors turned to look at Quinn Olston, the only pure Muggle-born in their group, upon this peculiar statement. "What? You don't have bi-polar people in the magical world?"

"What on Earth does 'bi-polar' mean?" Kelly Faust asked her friend.

"It means he's happy one day and mean the next. My older sister has it. Mum just says she's crazy, but the doctors say she's bi-polar."

"That's the silliest thing I've - "

Olivia suddenly grabbing an ink bottle out of her bag and hurled it at the wall at full force. The bottle shattered and ink splashed everywhere. Albus and his classmates stared at her in shock as she grabbed her Defense text and threw it at the nearest window. Being closed, and Olivia being an eleven year old girl, the book merely bounced off the thick glass. She picked the book up and threw it even harder at the window, again bouncing off. Giving up, she picked the book up again and simply hurled it down the hall as far as it could go. She collapsed to the floor in a heap. Olivia hadn't made a single sound during all of this.

Albus stared in shock. Ewan looked at where her book had landed and nodded, as though sizing up the distance. Rose, thankfully had the sense to motion to the rest of the class to move along. Kelly Faust had to be prodded by Quinn Olston before she realized she was gaping at the blonde girl now huddled against the wall with her head buried in her arms.

Rose knelt down next to Olivia. "It's okay. He was absolutely terrible back there."

Olivia looked up with red, puffy eyes. "He was trying to make me mad. All because I was trying to tell Albus to go to the hospital wing."

Ewan, who hadn't so much as flinched during Olivia's fit, gave Albus a sideways look and mouthed the words "way to go" with a small smirk on his face. Olivia didn't notice. Perhaps more fortunately, neither did Rose.

"He's a jerk," Rose stated. "I think Quinn might be on to something with that 'bi-polar' thing."

"I shouldn't have let him get me so mad. Now everyone's going to think I'm crazy." Olivia rubbed her eyes.

"I think it was just the Gryffindors from our class that saw you," Ewan offered. "Well, I mean, the Slytherins might've, but they were pretty far ahead of us."

Olivia groaned and dropped her head back into her arms as Rose scowled at Ewan.

"It's okay," Rose said again. "Come on. We've got a break and then lunch, we can get you cleaned up." She gently pulled Olivia to her feet. "Everybody's allowed to get upset."

Albus and Ewan dropped back behind the girls as they walked slowly down the corridor. "How come," Ewan whispered as Albus bent down to pick up Olivia's now-battered book. "She's allowed to get mad, but I'm not?"

Olivia suddenly broke free of Rose's grasp and slammed her fists against the wall with a primal roar. The lamp above their heads exploded in a bright fireball, showering red hot remnants of the ornate dome onto all of them.

Albus winced and brushed a smoking piece of blackened glass off his sleeve. "Maybe that's why, mate."

Albus found it far easier to concentrate on tasks at hand for the rest of the week. He didn't know whether it was because he now had someone to be actively angry at in Phinean, or whether the sheer shock of what had transpired had jolted him out of his haze, but whatever had happened, it was for the better of him. In Charms Friday morning, he was the first person in the class to successfully make his apple peel itself. Rose alternated dirty looks between Albus and her own mutilated apple. At Quidditch practice Friday evening, Albus caught the Snitch before Conrad for the first time ever. He was so beside himself with excitement he nearly fell off his broom while sixty feet in the air. His excitement seemed to be helping the entire team; it was their best practice in weeks. Even James seemed to snap out of the funk he sank into every Quidditch practice.

Albus was approaching everything he did with vigor and focus, and felt better for it. Button's words occasionally echoed in his head: _"We must not give in. The moment we cave to acts of terrorism, we've lost."_ Albus had never really gotten along with Amy Ripley, but he wasn't going to let her attack demoralize him like it had for the first half of the week. He was living life to its fullest potential, and was sure that there was nothing that could possibly faze him.

It was with great surprise, however, that he found Alexis Fremont shaking him awake at six o'clock Saturday morning. "What - What's going on?" He blinked and peered blearily out the window in a sleep-induced stupor. "Did I miss the game?"

"No." Alexis's face was chalk-white. "Conrad's sick."

Albus blinked again. "Er. Well. I don't think I can do much for him, maybe Madam Pomfrey - "

"No, you idiot," Alexis snapped. "He's already there. He's really sick. He can't play today."

It took a minute for what she wasn't saying to sink in. Albus blinked a third time, this time in shock. "You mean..."

Alexis stood up. "Get ready. You're playing in your first real Quidditch match today."

* * *

Neville Longbottom stood over his prized Seeker's hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey gently dabbed sweat off the seventh year's red, pulsating forehead. "At least I know what _this_ is," the elderly matron said through pursed lips. She tipped a potion to Conrad's lips and gently poured the amber liquid into his waiting mouth. "Although I haven't seen a Reptilian Essence Draught in at least forty years. If I had to guess, I'd say... Yes, there he goes. Just what I thought. They used chameleon blood." Neville stared in shock as the unconscious young man abruptly changed from a rosy shade of pink, which Neville had assumed was due to the fever and convulsions, to an absolutely putrid shade of moss green.

"Merlin," Button exclaimed from his spot next to Neville.

"If it's just going to make him change color, then why is he so sick?" Neville asked, frowning.

"Because it's not an _Appearance_ Draught, it's an _Essence _Draught," Button explained as Madam Pomfrey inspected something vaguely resembling a scale that had appeared on Conrad's left hand. "It's not just making him look like a chameleon, it's literally Transfiguring his internal organs. If left alone, he would eventually become an enormous lizard with his own mind."

Neville opened his mouth, but Madam Pomfrey cut him off.

"Don't worry, Longbottom, it won't kill him. It's just extremely painful. Imagine drinking a bottle of Skel-Gro and then serving as an Auror's practice dummy." Unbeknownst to the hospital matron, Neville had been in nearly that exact position early in his Auror days. He winced at the thought.

Madam Pomfrey wiped Conrad's (now pastel purple) forehead. "It's a very old fashioned Transfiguration potion. Fortunately, the antidote is a common one." Madam Pomfrey stood up with surprising grace for her age. "The convulsions should stop now. Unfortunately, he'll still be in pain for the rest of the day." She looked directly at Neville. "He'll not be playing in any Quidditch matches anytime soon."

Neville frowned. "How could someone have gotten their hands on this?" he asked Button. "Isn't it illegal?"

Button shook his head. "It's legal, but only because it's not permanent. It _is_ illegal, however, to give it to someone without their consent." He sank into an armchair. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe we should have closed the school. These attacks..." He leaned forward and rubbed his tired eyes.

Things weren't adding up to Neville, however. "I don't think this was another attack. Well, I mean, obviously, the boy was poisoned - but I don't think it's the same person as the rest of them."

Button looked up. "What? Why not?"

Neville chewed on his lip as he arranged his thoughts. "All the other attacks were completely random, and couldn't be traced. There was no motive. Here, we have a possible motive: Conrad was supposed to play in a Quidditch match later today. If someone from the other House didn't want him to play, they could've poisoned him."

Button gaped. "You think a student would poison another student over a _Quidditch match_?"

Neville almost laughed. "Headmaster, when I was in school, half of Slytherin and Gryffindor would be in the hospital wing at some point the week before the match."

"But with everything that's going on - I can't believe someone would think this would be an acceptable prank!"

"It probably wasn't an older student. Have you seen the younger ones? Most of them don't fully grasp what's going on. Some of the first years do, after..." Neville motioned toward the bed in the corner. "But most of the second, third, fourth years - the seriousness hasn't sunk in."

Button was silent for a moment. "How would a second year get a hold of a potion like this? This is an advanced NEWT level potion."

Neville shook his head. "I don't know. But that brings me to the other reason I think it was a different culprit." He glanced toward Amy's bed again. "That attack could have been fatal. If Al hadn't caught her, she could've been killed by the fall. James said the same spell was directed towards him in the hall." His gaze hardened. "These recent attacks have been deadly. This," he motioned at Conrad. "Is not. Unpleasant, yes, but as you said, Headmaster, it wouldn't have killed him."

Button looked slightly relieved. He had started to come into his own as Headmaster after the winter holidays. Neville had been impressed by the overall improvement not only in decision making, but in how Button had been projecting himself. His speech Monday morning had left Neville floored. The whole hall had listened in rapt attention to the Headmaster, and Neville had seen more than a few students visibly gain strength from his words.

He was no Albus Dumbledore, but he would do.

The door to the infirmary burst open, and Alexis Fremont nearly fell on her face in her rush to get in. "What's going on? Rufus said Conrad was..." Her jaw dropped and her face turned an ugly shade of green - not nearly as green as Conrad's currently was, however. "What happened?" she cried, tears threatening to fall.

Button looked at Neville before answering. "We believe it was an ill-advised prank."

"Prank? He's - "

"He's in no serious danger, Miss Fremont," Madam Pomfrey spoke up. "It's not dangerous - just painful. I'm afraid he won't be playing Quidditch today."

Alexis was still staring at Conrad, who was beginning to stir. "Is he waking up? Will he know who did this?"

Neville looked questioningly at Madam Pomfrey. "I've dulled the pain for now. The potion won't last forever, though, and it's inadvisable to give him another dose of a potion that strong. I'll give him a Dreamless Sleep Draught later."

"Where... we..." Conrad was starting to come around. Neville leaned in. Alexis sat gingerly at the end of his bed.

"Conrad?" Neville asked. "Can you hear me? You're in the hospital wing."

Conrad's eyes fluttered open. He stared at Neville for a moment, opened his mouth, then shut it again. His eyes closed.

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "The numbing potion will have made him a little unfocused. He's not in his right head. He needs rest, please, Longbottom, let - "

"I know he needs rest, but anything he knows might be important." Neville wasn't completely sure of his theory about the poisoning.

Conrad's eyes opened. He once again looked straight at Neville. "Cakes..." he whispered. "Cakes... from home... they weren't right." His gaze began to wander.

Neville looked sharply at Button. "We'll have to check his dormitory." He was impressed by the boy's quick awareness of his situation, especially under such duress as he was now.

"They were from home?" Alexis asked, frantic. "Why would someone from his family try to poison him?"

Conrad's gaze settled on Alexis. He gave a weak smile. "You're beautiful," he said. His eyes gently closed again.

An awkward silence followed. Alexis turned a dark scarlet, but had trouble keeping the smile from creeping onto her face. She looked at the floor. Neville decided to spare her the moment. "Headmaster, we should go check the boys' dormitory. There may still be some of the tainted cakes left "

"Right you are," Button said, standing.

"I'll have to wake up Potter..." Alexis mumbled. "...In a minute."

* * *

"Fremont! Wise! Potter! Underhill! Weasley! Bendt! Anddddddddd... Potter!"

Harry Potter watched from the staff box with proud but nervous anticipation as his youngest son flew onto the Quidditch pitch for his first official match. Neville had Flooed them at seven o'clock that morning to tell them that Albus would be playing. Harry, naturally, had been concerned, since Albus had been seriously injured playing Quidditch just a week before. Madam Pomfrey had given Al a clean bill of health, however, and Harry trusted the matron who had so many times refused to let him leave until he was in better health than he had been in prior to whatever accident had landed him in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey had more trouble convincing Ginny. Harry had had quite a difficult time persuading her not to come storming into the castle the previous weekend. They were trying their best to give Albus room to develop on his own. They were still getting their weekly letters, but as Albus seemed to be doing fine without them around, Harry didn't want to force themselves where they weren't needed. He supposed being around so much family helped - there were nearly a whole year's worth of Weasleys in Gryffindor.

They had excellent seats in one of the visitors' boxes. George, Angelina, and Roxanne sat in front of him. To his right, Ginny and Lily watched the team do a lap around the pitch. "I hope he has a better first game than James did," Ginny said.

"Yeah, James sucked." Lily had a knack for being candid.

"He did not suck, he just had a bad game," Ginny protested. "I had my share of bad games, does that mean I sucked at Quidditch?"

"For those games, you did."

Ginny frowned at her daughter as Harry suppressed a grin. To his left, Arcturus Harmon was searching the sky and stands for any sign of danger. Harry leaned over. "We've still got two back at the school, right?"

Arcturus nodded, still inspecting the clear blue sky. "Tabbits is up there." He pointed to the roof of the announcer's box, where a scarlet robed figure was barely visible. "Bloodstone is up in the air, Disillusioned. Keaney and Perkle are in the stands. Keaney's been assigned to watch Albus, and Perkle's been assigned to watch James."

"Do Albus and James know they're being followed?" Harry asked.

"Alexandra said Albus has spoken to her a few times. Frank says James hasn't said anything to him, but he knows he's there." Harry nodded.

The teams lined up. The acting Gryffindor Captain shook the hand of the Hufflepuff Captain. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, threw the Quaffle up, and away they went.

"Rampstead with the Quaffle. Dodges Fremont, dodges a Bludger from Weasley - oh, Potter forces him to drop the Quaffle - wait, this one's going to be a penalty..." There was a collective groan from the Gryffindor crowd as James drew a penalty for flying to collide.

"Yup," Lily said. "He still sucks."

Ginny shushed Lily, but Harry had to admit that it was a pretty blatant penalty. If James had perhaps distanced himself a little more from the Hufflepuff Chaser and reached out, instead of trying to get on top of him...

"How are things at the Ministry?" Harmon asked.

"Same as usual. Ratchet decided he still didn't like the way the department was set up, so he had maintenance rearrange it overnight. I actually have to use my office now, which - "

"Harry." Arcturus cut him off. "Left corner."

Harry looked where Arcturus was describing. He didn't see anything. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure. Some sort of movement."

The two Aurors didn't break their gaze, even as Hufflepuff scored on their penalty shot. "There!" Harry had seen it. A flash of black cloak moving underneath the stands, where nobody was supposed to be.

"I saw it too." Arcturus lifted a small blue stone to his mouth. "Tabbits."

"Yeah?" came the quiet voice back through the communication stones.

"Corner to your right. Underneath the stands."

"I'm on it."

Harry tried to watch the match, but his heart was pounding.

"Wise with the Quaffle, trying to tie it up. Excellent roll to avoid Martenco. Shoots - scores! 10-10."

Albus was circling the pitch above the action. The Hufflepuff Seeker was doing the same. _She's going clockwise, he's going counterclockwise. Shows confidence. The other team knows you're nervous when you start tailing their Seeker_.

Hufflepuff was having no luck scoring, and Gryffindor got the Quaffle back thanks to a well aimed Bludger. Harry couldn't help but notice that James was trying to stay out of the action when on defense.

"Boss." Julian Tabbits's voice came through the stone.

"Go ahead," Arcturus responded into the stone. Harry saw Ginny glance over and knew she wanted to know what was going on, but was keeping quiet so as not to upset Lily.

"There's nothing here. Nobody."

Arcturus frowned. "Alright. Keep looking around under the stands. I'll keep an eye on everything up here."

Harry tried to remember the layout underneath the stands. As far as he could recall, it was mostly just support beams, with a few storage rooms. There were, of course, the changing and shower rooms, but those were locked during matches.

"POTTER'S SEEN THE SNITCH!"

Harry's thoughts were interrupted as Albus went into a dive. Harry followed his path and saw the Snitch loitering in front of the Hufflepuff stands.

"GO AL!" Lily was on her feet screaming and cheering.

Harry held his breath. He was all alone. The Hufflepuff Seeker was too far away. There was no chance of the Snitch getting away.

Except...

"LOOK OUT!" Half the stadium seemed to shout out together, as a Bludger rocketed towards Albus. Albus, however, was totally focused on the Snitch and didn't hear the warning.

Harry winced and Ginny cried out as the Bludger hit his outstretched hand. Albus pulled out of the dive in visible pain.

"That's not fair!" Lily shouted.

As much as he wanted to agree, Harry knew the hit was legal - and a good play, at that. He watched the offending Beater, the Hufflepuff Captain, nod with satisfaction and fly off. The Snitch had disappeared.

A minute later, Hufflepuff had scored twice to make the score 30-10. A minute after that, the same Beater hit another Bludger at Albus as he dipped through the field of play. James shouted something at the Hufflepuff captain as they passed. Albus apparently didn't find the view underneath the action adequate, so he passed back through. Again, the Hufflepuff Captain aimed a Bludger at him. This time, James got in the Beater's face, and Madam Hooch had to call time-out. The players landed. James continued shouting until Madam Hooch forced him away. She magnified her voice.

"Bludgers are allowed to be directed at any player within the field of play. By being within ten vertical feet of the Quaffle, the Seeker was within the field of play." Poor decision making aside, Madam Hooch still seemed to retain a firm grasp of the rules. James, however, was not satisfied. He glared daggers at the Hufflepuff Captain, despite the other boy being several years older than him, twice as large, and holding a large bat.

The players took back to the skies, but it was a totally different game. The proverbial floodgates had opened. Five minutes later, Gryffindor led it 90-70. Five minutes after that, 150-120. The game had become a high scoring brawl, with the unexpected star of James Potter. Immediately after Madam Hooch had blown the whistle, James had taken the Quaffle and flown straight to the other end of the pitch as fast as he could. He didn't bother to dodge people, and he didn't need to - The Hufflepuff Chasers had scattered at the sight of a very angry player flying at them at full speed. And he kept the aggressive style of play up. Of the fifteen goals, James had scored eight. He even seemed to be playing defense well. Harry watched the same situation as the beginning of the game unfold - except this time, James kept further away and punched the Quaffle out of the Chaser's arms with his hand, instead of his whole body.

"Harmon, come in." Tabbits's voice came through the small blue stone.

"Find anything?" Arcturus asked.

"A black cloak. Torn."

"Where?"

"By an exit to the grounds. And sir, it's small. It's definitely a student's."

Harry felt his blood run cold. He took the stone from Arcturus. "Search the grounds. If they've taken a student, we need to find them quickly. Bloodstone, you there?"

"Aye, sir."

"Did you hear all that?"

"Aye."

"Move out and cover the grounds. Saffron?"

"Here."

"Get to the forest. Patrol the edge."

"On my way."

Harry sat back in his seat and handed the stone back to Arcturus. The score was now 160-130. He caught Ginny looking at him questioningly. He tried to smile reassuringly. She turned back the to the match, her face forced impassive.

"Idals with the Quaffle. Passes to Martenco. Passes back to Idals. Reverse pass to Rampstead who shoots - deflected! BUT MARTENCO CATCHES IT OFF THE DEFLECTION AND SCORES! 160-140, Gryffindor!"

Natalie Martenco's dramatic goal seemed to give the Hufflepuff squad even more energy. They soon pulled ahead as the scoring festival continued, 230-210. Harry was beginning to wonder how long the match would continue. Fifteen minutes and a dozen goals later, his Aurors began to check in.

"No sign of 'em from up 'ere, sir."

"Nothing by the forest."

"Still searching the grounds, but nothing other than a few students so far."

Arcturus frowned. "You're all supposed to check in every five minutes unless something's preventing you." He shot Harry an annoyed look. "Don't get sloppy just because we're at a school. This is very real."

"Aye, sir. Sorry."

Arcturus put the stone away. "I should be running more drills with them. Keeping them sharp."

Harry nodded. "Couldn't hurt," he said, trying to keep his voice even. The Aurors had seemed more undisciplined lately. _Is it just because there haven't been any serious threats lately? Or is it something I'm doing?_

"It could be nothing," Arcturus continued. "Rich student tears his cloak, decides he'll just buy a new one with Mummy and Daddy's money, tosses the old - "

"There!" Harry pointed to the right side of the stadium, opposite where the commotion had started. He stood up sharply. There were flashes of light coming from under the stands. A duel.

He pushed past Arcturus and hurried up the short aisle to the stairs. He took them two at a time down into the inner bowls of the stadium. Arcturus followed, shouting instructions into the communication stone. Finally at ground level, he ducked under support beams and ran towards where he had seen the lights. Reaching a corner, he drew his wand and peered around the edge of the wall. Arcturus flattened himself next to him. Bursts of light flashed from behind a storage shed. Harry broke into a run with Arcturus on his heels. Harry rounded the corner of the shed and cast a silent immobilizing spell at the first movement he saw. Arcturus did the same with a Stunner.

And then Harry leaned his head back and rolled his eyes. Arcturus gave an enormous sigh of relief and pulled the communication stone from his pocket. "Return to your positions. Nothing to worry about."

A boy, maybe fourth or fifth year, stood immobilized, looking very scared and very cold. Scared because of the two Aurors in front of him. Cold because he didn't have a cloak. His unconscious comrade on the ground had a burn mark across his face. Harry unfroze the conscious one as Arcturus woke the boy on the ground.

"What do you think you're doing?" Harry demanded.

"He started it!" the cloakless boy protested. "He grabbed my cloak and tore it, then he punched me in the face!" Indeed, Harry could see a fresh bruise starting to form under the boy's eye."

"Urg..." The boy with the burn mark sat up. "That's because he's been trying to steal my girlfriend! He won't leave her alone, and when I told him to step off, he told me to - "

"She doesn't want to be with you, she's just too scared to toss you because you're crazy. And you are! Punching me in the face for no reason - "

"It's wasn't for no reason!" Burn Mark shouted. "You told me to go do things with a goat that are illegal in Britain!"

"I did them with your girlfriend last night."

"You - "

"ENOUGH!" Harry shouted. "You, go see Madam Pomfrey for that burn. You, get back in the stands and sit down."

"What about my bruise?"

"You'll live." Harry shook his head in exasperation. _Teenagers_.

Returning to the stands, he was surprised to see a time-out in progress. The Hufflepuff Chaser Martenco was being helped off the field, cradling her ribs. On the ground nearby, an enormous Gryffindor Beater was looking rather pleased with himself. Ginny shot him a questioning look as he took his seat. Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Couple of kids having a fight. No big deal." He checked the scoreboard. 300-280, Hufflepuff. _That's probably about to change, _he thought.

And change, it did. Without their leading scorer (whom Harry was surprised to learn was only a fourth year), Hufflepuff couldn't find the goals. Gryffindor was up 430-310 when the Hufflepuff Seeker suddenly went into a dive. Albus dived immediately after from the other end of the pitch. The whole of the stadium got to its feet. Hufflepuff had only managed one goal since going down a Chaser, but they were still at the point where they wouldn't need more goals to win. Harry held his breath as the two Seekers hurtled towards where the Snitch hovered, directly in front of the Gryffindor stands.

"They're going to crash!" Lily shouted. She was almost right. At the last second, the Snitch darted to the left, straight into Albus's outstretched hand. The Hufflepuff Seeker pulled out of the dive just in time, cursing herself as she went. Albus, however, crashed into the Gryffindor stands, knocking over a whole row of his fellow first years. Ginny gasped, Lily screamed, and Harry winced, but Albus's arm shot out of the mass of limbs a moment later, grasping the Golden Snitch as a prize. Final score: Gryffindor 580, Hufflepuff 310.


	19. Camping

**Chapter 19**

**Camping**

* * *

Albus's euphoria at catching the Snitch lasted the entire week. Not only had the win notched fifty points for Gryffindor in the House cup, but the high number of points scored during the match had tied Gryffindor with Ravenclaw for the lead in the Quidditch Cup. Their match at the end of May would likely decide the championship. Not only was Albus's mood improved, but James's was as well. Something had clicked, and James had suddenly become the best player on the field.

The week after the match, Albus finally told his friends about what he had heard from the Sorting Hat. Their reactions were pretty much as he predicted.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Rose scolded. "We could've helped figure it out!"

"But I can't even remember most of it! All I remember is a bunch of descriptions, colors, and then at the end, somebody dies. I was waiting until I could remember more to tell you."

"But why?"

Albus gave his cousin an irritated look. "So _somebody _wouldn't be able to badger me about it!" She glowered at him until he looked away.

"So why tell us now?" Ewan asked. He had a distant look on his face, as though lost in thought.

"Because - " Albus paused. "I don't know." He thought about it for a moment. Why _had_ he decided to bring it up? He supposed it might've been because he didn't think he was making any progress. It might've just been because he was in a good mood, and thought they might not be as annoyed at him for not telling them. He realized the main reason with a sudden jolt. He felt safe. He finally felt as though he was truly a Gryffindor, and no prophecy would be able to tell him otherwise. And even if it did, surely they wouldn't throw him out of Gryffindor, not after winning a brutal Quidditch match as a first year. A warm feeling passed over him. He smiled. "It just felt like the right time."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Children!" Ewan interrupted. "If you can not engage in civilized discourse, I will have to put you in timeout."

They both stared at him while Olivia snickered.

"Where did you learn a word like 'discourse?'" Albus snorted.

"You're an idiot, too," Rose rolled her eyes again.

"So, what was it?" Olivia asked. "The fair will wear blue?"

"Red, I think."

"Well, that sounds like a Hufflepuff in Gryffindor," Rose said.

"That's what I figured," Albus paused. "But there was another word, I just can't remember it."

"We'll come back to it. What else?"

"Alright, alright. Somebody's wearing blue. I just can't remember what they are. They're either 'strong' or 'bold.'" He paused again. "Or maybe 'cunning.' 'Wise?'" He dropped his head in his hands. I don't remember!"

Rose looked disappointed. "Alright, well, we think we have somebody fair in Gryffindor."

"So who's fair?" Olivia asked.

They thought for a moment. "I can't think of anybody that's really unfair," Albus said.

"That's true," Rose said. "I mean, Kelly and Quinn can be rude, but they're not particularly 'unfair.'"

"Does anybody go out of their way to be fair?" Albus asked.

They thought for another moment.

"Albert," suggested Rose.

"That's true. Just last week he let everybody in Charms cheat off him. That was very fair of him." Ewan smirked.

Rose rolled her eyes a third time. "We're not getting anywhere." A look of sudden understanding crossed her face. "What if - what if it doesn't mean 'fair' as in playing by the rules? What if it means a fair-skinned person."

Albus frowned. "But we're all pretty light skinned. Well, I mean, Albert and Quinn are black, and Olivia's sort of tan - "

"It's called a 'Mediterranean Glow.'"

" - but the rest of us are pretty fair-skinned."

"Well, who's the palest?"

"Clierah's pretty pale. So's Esther. Heck, so are you, Ewan." Olivia shrugged. "Could be anybody."

Albus was suddenly overcome with the absurdity of the situation. He laughed. "Do you realize we're sitting here trying to figure out who has the palest skin in our year?"

"Why are we even bothering trying to figure it out?" Ewan asked. His face had resumed its distant expression. "It's a prophecy, and it sounds like it's been set in motion. Not much we can do about it."

"We can warn the people involved!" Rose protested. "These four people are going to do something to 'avert great tragedy.' Don't they deserve to know that they may end up in a dangerous situation?"

Albus had another image flash in his mind. The four faceless students, this time clad in robes of stunning yellow, red, blue, and green, stood in the front doorway of Hogwarts at twilight. They faced not a dark cloud, nor a single person - an army of shadows danced before them on the grounds, twisting and curling in ways not natural to the laws of light.

"So, what, they can look over their shoulder for the rest of the time they're in school? And why do they have to be in different Houses, anyway?" Ewan had an edge to his voice.

Albus had given this matter a lot of thought. "The way I figure it," he began slowly, "they'll learn or get something from the people in their House that they wouldn't ordinarily."

"But why can't the person who was supposed to be in that House learn it instead?"

Albus had no answer. The mystery of the Sorting Hat was truly a confusing one.

* * *

The rest of March passed with no further disruptions of class or daily life. The last of the snow melted. Conrad Clearview was returned to his normal coloring. Amy Ripley still lay unconscious in the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey had wanted to have her moved to St. Mungo's, but Mrs. Ripley apparently didn't trust the Healers for some unknown reason, and asked that Madam Pomfrey continue looking after her daughter. Amy was usually concealed by a curtain around her bed, but Albus and Ewan caught a glimpse of her one day. They were being treated for several small cuts after the Slair twins had "accidentally" blasted the vase behind their heads into a million tiny pieces in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Madam Pomfrey had left her curtains open. Amy's nearly white face and hands had made Albus sick to his stomach.

Their curfews were lifted at the end of March. This was the best news Albus had heard in a while, as he was itching to get back to a D.A. meeting. Conrad was reluctant to put the members at risk, as running around late at night in secret seemed like a formula for disaster. However, he eventually bowed to the clamors of the masses, and announced that meetings would resume shortly.

The beginning of April brought exciting news: The Muggle Studies camping trip they had been told (warned?) about at the beginning of term was to take place at the end of the week. The entire first year class, accompanied by a handful of teachers and an Auror, would take a Portkey to Kielder Forest and spend the weekend learning the Muggle art of camping. Some of the first years were less than pleased about this.

"You mean we'll have to use these 'match' things to start a fire?"

"I will not sleep on the ground like some kind of animal."

"How are we supposed to shower?"

"You will; your tents will have floors and you'll have a sleeping bag; there will be showers available, but they're two kilometers away from the campsite," Professor Creevey seemed far more enthused about the trip than any of his students. "C'mon, you'll have fun! All the years before you loved it, you will too!"

This point was up for debate. According to James, the trip was a brilliant expedition involving climbing up dangerous mountains, catching giant fish, and escaping from wild boars. According to Hannah, James and Fred had climbed a six foot high pile of rocks, caught a tadpole, and run away from a mysterious noise in the night. According to Lucy, the trip was nothing short of a soggy, cold, spider-infested nightmare. According to Hannah (who had tented with Lucy), the ground was wet with dew in the morning, Lucy had forgotten to pack a sweater, and James had put the spiders in Lucy's sleeping bag (causing her to scream and scare James and Fred into thinking there was a wild boar in the campsite).

Albus was looking forward to the trip.

A very groggy group of first years assembled in the Great Hall at six o'clock Friday morning. Creevey stood in front and counted heads, looking far happier than he had any right to at such an early hour. "Okay!" He stroked his ridiculous moustache. "Everyone have their packs?" Albus looked at the Muggle backpack he had stocked the night before. He had a nagging suspicion he had forgotten something, but in his sleepy stupor, didn't know what. "Good! Let's go!"

They followed Creevey to Hogsmeade, where they met up with Neville, Caydarah, and Arcturus Harmon. Albus and the rest of the Gryffindors ended up close enough to the teachers that he could hear their discussion. "D'you have the Portkeys?" Creevey asked.

"Right here." The Auror held up a wooden box containing several random objects. Albus immediately had a sense of foreboding. He had only traveled by Portkey once before, and the result was nearly the same as his experiences with Floo Powder.

"Good, good. Neville, why don't you go with the Gryffindors, Clarianna, with the Hufflepuffs, I'll go with the Sly - ah, the Slytherins..." Creevey was staring over their heads, frowning. Albus turned and followed his gaze to where the majority of the Slytherins were muttering angrily under their breath. Vilhelm Slair was glaring at his backpack as though it had deeply wronged him.

Harmon smirked. "Let me go with them. I'll scare them straight." He picked up a broken oar and strode over to the Slytherin huddle. The look on Scorpius Malfoy's face when he saw the large Auror walking towards him while slapping a paddle into his palm was priceless. The Slytherins stopped their muttering and waited, every one of them staring at the paddle.

"Okay, everybody get a finger on this." Neville was extending an empty wine bottle. Twelve Gryffindors and their teacher, all wearing large backpacks, were barely able to each get a finger on the glass. Neville looked at his watch. "Should happen in... three... two... one..." Albus braced himself as he felt a peculiar jerk behind his navel, and found himself spinning faster than he remembered. He shut his eyes tight.

"Aaah!" Albus suddenly found himself thrown from the Portkey. He hit soft ground with a dull thud, bounced twice, and opened his eyes. Clear blue sky was high above him, and the temperature was far warmer than it had been at Hogwarts. They appeared to be in a forest clearing. A dirt road led in from one side. Several small trails led out from another.

He picked himself up off the ground somewhat awkwardly due to the backpack, and saw the rest of the Gryffindors a good twenty feet away. Neville was wincing, Rose was laughing, and Ewan was nodding the same way he had when Olivia had hurled her Defense book down the corridor. "That was a solid seven. You kept your arms outstretched, your head straight, and you got a good three spins out of it. Just work on that landing and you'll be on the Olympic gymnastics squad in no time."

Albus gave him a dirty look as he rejoined his classmates.

"Alright, now we have to walk!" Creevey was oblivious to Albus's flight of fancy.

"More? I thought the Portkey was going to take us to the campsite."

"No, Mr. Wirre, it took us _close_ to the campsite. As close as Muggles can get with their cars. No, it's another two kilometers into the forest. We should get there in no time!"

"No time" ended up taking quite a while, after having to stop for Laramie Fox slipping and falling down a muddy trench (Albus suspected Anteres Wirre had pushed him), Vilhelm Slair needing to repair his pack (Albus suspected he had intentionally torn it in the desperate hope that he would be sent back, unable to continue - to no avail: Creevey introduced the dark-haired boy to something called "duct tape"), and several Ravenclaws losing their heads and trying to run away upon seeing a deer (Albus suspected they were merely stupid).

They finally arrived at the campsite, a large circular clearing, and faced the challenging task of setting up their tents. While Rose and Olivia got their tent up with little trouble, Albus and Ewan fumbled with the assorted poles for nearly ten minutes before Neville took pity and showed them how to stand the tent up. To their left, Guy Sheppard and Torvald Nova took even longer to set theirs up, seeing as how Guy was insisting on doing everything himself. Torvald, having apparently drawn the short straw in having to tent with Guy, contented himself with sitting on a log and eating a box of Every Flavor Beans he had brought along.

Across the campsite, Scorpius Malfoy and his tentmate were already set up, had gotten their hands on some dry logs to use as stools, and were lounging outside, eating various snacks and watching their classmates struggle with vague looks of amusement. Albus scowled at them. Malfoy caught the look, and smirked back. While the gesture didn't endear Malfoy to Albus, he was surprised the other boy showed any sign of acknowledgement whatsoever.

_Although..._ Now that Albus was thinking about it, he had seen Malfoy be more talkative this term than the term prior. Not to him, of course, but he could often be seen having a civil conversation with students from other Houses.

After they had set up their bedding inside the tent (Albus was displeased to find his sleeping area on top of a large root), Neville came by and informed them that Creevey was ready to begin the day's activities.

Several hours later, Ewan unzipped the opening to their tent and collapsed on his sleeping bag. "What did that accomplish?" he asked into his pillow. Professor Creevey had spent what seemed like days talking about trees, rocks, dirt, and too many other things the first years couldn't force themselves to care about.

What the first years did care about, however, was food. Sandwiches were distributed for lunch. As Albus happily munched on his, Rose interrupted his daydream involving a bed, moving staircases, and a profound lack of nature. "What do you think it was like?" She was staring into space, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"What what was like?"

"For our parents. They spent close to a year living out of a tent."

Albus took another bite and chewed slowly. "They probably had a magical tent. With a stove. And beds."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Al, we've been here only a few hours and you're already complaining?"

He shrugged. "I get cranky when I have to get up early. And wander through the woods looking at mushrooms."

"But think about it! They probably had to survive off things like mushrooms."

Albus thought about it. "I don't like mushrooms."

Rose sighed. "I just think I appreciate it more, now."

The afternoon's events involved fishing for what was to become their dinner. Albus caught a very large prize - unfortunately, Sebastian McKinley didn't appreciate having a fishhook in his ear. Downstream, the Slytherins were catching large numbers of fish. More specifically, Malfoy's tentmate was catching lots of fish, while most of the others loitered around, no doubt discussing the best way to be sent back to Hogwarts early. Albus snorted. _I hope he doesn't let them have any of the fish. Better yet, I hope he gives _us_ some of the fish._ In the end, however, it was Ewan who caught four respectably sized fish. It was after the fishing expedition, however, that they faced their biggest challenge.

"How are we supposed get it going?" Vilhelm Slair protested in a voice that could be heard from across the campsite. "We hold the match up to the wood and it just burns out!"

"I told you, you have to start with the smaller stuff and work your way up!" Professor Creevey was becoming annoyed. Vilhelm scowled at him and turned back to the stack of wood.

Albus and his friends weren't having much better luck. "Okay," growled Olivia. "Enough of this." She pulled out her wand.

"Ellis!"

Olivia sighed and put her wand away. She watched Creevey until he turned his back, then again pulled out her wand, this time shielding it with her sleeve.

"Olivia!" But not hidden well enough. Professor Caydarah shook her head in their direction.

"Well, come on, how else are we going to start this fire?"

"Quick's not having any trouble with the matches." She motioned towards the Slytherin tents, where Malfoy and his tentmate already had a fire going for themselves and two other Slytherins, and were chatting as they cooked the fish. Albus scowled at having been beaten to the punch by the Slytherins yet again.

"Well, bully for Quick," Olivia muttered. Caydarah came over to watch.

Albus lit another match and held it to the dried leaves at the bottom of the small mess of twigs they had built. The flame sputtered and died. "Darn it!"

"Here, let me try," Ewan said. He took the book, struck a match, and held it to a dried leaf. The flame appeared to sputter and die, but suddenly surged back to life. "Hah!" The fire quickly spread to the surrounding kindling, and they soon had a small fire sustained.

"Just like magic," Olivia quipped. Caydarah raised an eyebrow at her. "Just an expression, Professor."

The young teacher shook a finger in her direction. "I'm on to you, miss." The half-smile on her face betrayed her words, however.

The fish was burnt and bland. It was also the most delicious thing Albus could remember eating. He suddenly understood what Rose was saying earlier about understanding their parents' plight. After catching, cleaning, and cooking their own meal, just about anything would taste good.

* * *

Sleep did not come easy for Albus that night. Partly because of the root in his back. Partly because he was still hungry. Mostly because the tent next to his was on fire.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?" Torvald screamed at Guy as the nylon melted, leaving an odor oddly reminiscent of celery.

Albus rubbed his eyes apart and stuck his head out the front of the tent to see. Teachers were rushing over. There was at least a foot and a half between the disintegrating tent and Albus's. He shrugged. _No need to get out of the tent._ He laid his head back down and tried to go back to sleep.

"I couldn't find my socks, so I grabbed a stick and stuck it in the fire to see! Creevey said if we needed to see, use a torch!" Albus heard the hissing sound of water extinguishing fire.

"Use a - " There was a rustling as Torvald rummaged through his smoldering backpack. "_THIS_ is a torch!" There was a clicking sound, followed by an obnoxiously bright light shining on their tent Albus could see through his eyelids. "They don't even _call_ them torches where I'm from, and I _still_ knew what he meant!"

Albus rolled over, folded the pillow over his head and eventually drifted back off to sleep.

* * *

He woke up far too soon, with a headache and a surly disposition. Ewan, who had slept soundly through the night's events, was already frying bacon and eggs over the fire. "Good morning!" he said, about as chipper as Creevey had been the day before. "These were sitting on top of the grate when I came out."

Albus looked around the campsite. Only a handful of his fellow first years were out, most still trying to get their fires going again. The pale grey of the morning cast a somber light on the camp. Fog hung around the trees.

The girls' tent rustled, unzipped, and Olivia poked her head out. Her hair was plastered across her face. "I smell bacon."

"It's not done."

"Oh. Wake me up when it is." She laid her head down on the ground, not even bothering to pull herself all the way back into the tent.

Albus dropped onto a log and stared sleepily at the fire. "I don't get camping."

"What's not to get? You get away from everything for a while. You get to have a simpler life, even if it is just for a weekend." Ewan flipped a piece of bacon. "My mum used to take us camping a lot. It got us out of the city." He looked up at Albus. "We don't live in exactly the best neighborhood."

Albus tried to appreciate the nature around him as he ate his breakfast, but found himself wanting for his four-poster bed and a large breakfast in the Great Hall. "So," he said as he chewed. "What do you think we're doing today?"

"I dunno," said Olivia, who was electing to eat her breakfast still in her sleeping bag. Rose was playing Albus's usual role of being the last one awake. The majority of their classmates were in the process of awakening, most with familiar expressions of pain as they massaged various sore body parts. Albus rubbed his own neck.

Torvald emerged from Albert and Sebastian's tent and approached them. "Can we use your fire? Ours is out."

"I would've thought you'd be tired of fires by this point," Ewan quipped.

"How would you even know?" Albus snorted. "You slept through the whole thing!"

"Creevey told me this morning when I asked him why a tent had mysteriously turned into a burn mark overnight."

"Yeah, Sheppard's an idiot. They tried to stick him in your tent, but nobody responded when they shook the tent, and the zipper was stuck, so they put him with some of the Hufflepuffs."

"It wasn't stuck. I was holding it shut so he couldn't get in," Albus said as he rubbed his eyes, still coming out of his morning trance.

Ewan paused, then nodded. "I can understand that."

As it turned out, the day's events involved boating on a nearby lake (Albus questioned Creevey's use of the word "nearby"). Albus found he enjoyed the serenity of being out on the water. Nearby, however, Laramie Fox's boating woes continued. Anteres Wirre took advantage of the heavyset boy standing up and leaning over to give him a hearty kick over the edge of the boat.

"Hey!" Olivia shouted. "What's your problem, Wirre?" The Hufflepuff shrugged at her, gave an unpleasant grin, and sat back against the bow of the rowboat. Laramie thrashed about for a moment spluttering until he realized the water was only about three feet deep. Caydarah appeared a moment later and gave Wirre the harshest tongue-lashing Albus had ever seen from the usually effervescent professor.

In a nearby boat, Malfoy and his tentmate were sharing a boat with Katie Boot of Ravenclaw. None of them looked very happy, and Katie was whispering and gesturing at the two of them with an angry look on her face.

After catching (meaning Ewan had again caught) several fish, they returned to camp to find a surprise - Neville had built an enormous fire in their absence, traveled to Hogwarts, and returned with several sacks filled with food. Albus's mouth watered at the prospect of a meal that hadn't been swimming about an hour prior.

They ate like kings that night (comparatively). A feast of fish, potatoes, and vegetables, with all sorts of Muggle soft drinks Neville had somehow acquired.

Albus had to admit that he was having far more fun than he had the night before. Even the usually grumpy and mutinous group of Slytherins seemed to be having fun around the bonfire. "Professor, why didn't we do this last night?" he asked Creevey.

"Muggle camping involves a lot of hard work, but has great returns if it's done right." He grinned at Albus. "It also involves a lot of sitting back and relaxing with good company and a big fire. We figured we'd show you this side of it tonight."

* * *

Albus got to sleep far easier the second night. Unfortunately he was once again woken up in the middle of the night. Shivering from the cold of night, he put his cloak and shoes on, grabbed a torch, and hurried as fast as he could to the latrine outside of camp. Neville had told them not to go to the restroom alone, but Albus didn't think Ewan would appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night for that particular reason.

On his way back, a sudden voice in the trail ahead of him made him jump.

"Laramie? Is that you?" There was movement, and Rose, followed by tiny Daphne Akers and Helga Leinde of Hufflepuff, emerged from the trail into the moonlight. "Oh. Hi, Al."

"What're you all doing?" Albus shined the flashlight into the woods around them, checking for any other surprises. "Why'd you think I was Laramie?"

"He's not in his tent," Daphne said, looking worried. "And Guy said he found this on his sleeping bag." She handed Albus a scrap of parchment.

_Hey Fatty_

_You want your wand back? Better go find it. Hint: You sure seemed to like that fish..._

Albus groaned. "Wirre?"

Daphne nodded. "We were going to look for him. If the teachers found him, he'd just get in more trouble, and he really doesn't need that right now. Rose was up and asked what was going on, so we told her."

"Laramie's probably stumbling around the woods right now looking for his wand,' Helga said in a high-pitched voice. "And, well, he's..." she trailed off.

"An idiot," Daphne finished.

Albus couldn't argue with that. "Why didn't you guys bring a light?" he asked.

"Olivia put ours somewhere I didn't see, and she was out cold," said Rose. "Couldn't wake her up."

The other two girls looked at each other, embarrassed. "We, uh, forgot to pack it." Daphne said.

"And we didn't want to get in trouble for using our wands," Helga added.

"_You_ didn't want to get in trouble. _I_ didn't think we'd get in trouble."

"We're not allowed - "

"I've got a light. I'll help you find him," Albus interrupted. "I'm already up, and I'll be awake wondering what's going on if I don't." He didn't particularly like Laramie Fox, but knowing the boy's proneness to accident and injury, it was probably better they found him before he wound up eaten by badgers or something equally ridiculous.

"We were going to head to the river and then the lake, since the note gave a hint about fish," Daphne said.

The four set off down the path again, turning at the fork that led to the river they had fished in on Friday. Along the way, Albus was fairly certain he heard at least six different wild animals about to devour them. He was glad he had a light.

"Laramie?" Rose called. No response. "Laramie, where are you?"

"Maybe he's at the lake - "

"Shh!" Albus shushed the girls. "Listen!"

They listened, and heard a very faint voice. "Where's it coming from?" Daphne hissed.

"I can't tell, but probably from the river, let's go!" They broke into a run towards down the path.

"Oof!" Rose, who was in the very back, had tripped over a root. "Al, I can't see back here!" Albus, at least thirty feet ahead of her, stopped and turned back. "You have to shine the light - AAH!" Rose drew her wand. "_Impedimenta_!"

There was a pale red light and a muffled "oof" from someone unseen. Albus shined the light towards Rose and felt his heart crash to a stop. A tall figure in a black cloak lingered in the beam for a moment, not ten feet from where Rose lay. Its face was in shadow, but pale eyes seemed to glow from under the hood. The figure glared at them for a moment, then the spell wore off, and with a soft popping noise, the mysterious figure had Disapparated.

They all stared in shock for a moment.

"We have to go back!" Rose shouted.

Albus was about to agree, but a sudden scream behind them made them all turn around. Rose jumped to her feet and appeared at Albus's shoulder a moment later.

"Laramie." Daphne stared down the path. "We have to help him."

"We need to go back and find a professor!" Rose protested.

"We need to find him!" Albus countered. "He's not screaming because he feels like it!"

There was a second scream, shorter. Albus felt chilled to the bone. "We're wasting time. Rose, you go back and get a teacher. We'll go find Laramie."

"I'm not going alone!"

"I'll go with you," Helga said. "I don't want to be out here if that person comes back." She shot her friend a guilty look.

"It's okay," Daphne said. "Go! We'll find Laramie."

Rose lit her wand. Her and Helga hurried off back down the trail towards camp. Albus and Daphne exchanged glances, then headed towards the river. They heard another muffled shout and broke into a run. Reaching the ledge overlooking the river, Albus aimed the light from the torch into the water. "Laramie?" he called.

"LARAMIE?" Daphne shouted.

There was no response. The wind blew through the trees above them. The shallow river moved quickly below them. They hurried downstream.

"LARAMIE?" Albus called again.

"HELP - urgh - HELP M-ME!"

Albus's heart leapt in his chest. "WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'M - ack - I-I-IN THE R-RIVER!"

Albus tensed. It was quite cold above the water. It had to be near freezing in the river. He cast the beam from the flashlight towards the sound of Laramie's voice. "Do you see him?"

"I don't know where - THERE!" He flicked the beam back and saw the heavyset Hufflepuff clinging with all his might to a rock on the far side of the river. The current, though shallow, was strong.

"WE SEE YOU! HOLD ON!"

"How are we going to get him out?"

"I don't know." Albus frowned. "The professors will know, but..."

"But they're too far away. We have to do something _now_!"

Albus thought for a moment. "Levitation Charms. If we can get him above the water, we can move him to land!" He shined the light back on Laramie. The boy was hard to see, but Albus could see enough to know that time was a pressing issue.

"Okay. We should both do it; it'll be more powerful."

Albus reached for his back pocket, where he usually kept his wand. It was then that he suddenly realized what he had forgotten to pack. "Oh no," he whispered. "I don't have my wand."

Daphne stared at him in shock for a moment, then seemed to snap together. "Alright. It'll have to be me, then." She drew her wand and made the familiar movement. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_"

Nothing happened. Laramie gave another small shout.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" she shouted again. Again, nothing.

"We're too far away!" Albus shouted. "The spell can't reach him, you're not strong enough to send it far enough..." He trailed off as the small Hufflepuff gave him a dirty look.

"There!" Daphne pointed at an rickety tree growing sideways out of the ledge. She ran towards it.

"It'll never hold you!"

"One of the perks of being small," she grinned, despite the situation. "I can fit places most other people can't."

And before he could protest, she took several ginger steps onto the trunk and cat-walked about three meters down. She aimed her wand again. "_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Nothing. She took a few more tentative steps.

Albus could hear a quiet cracking noise. "Daphne, it's going to break!"

"_Wingardium Leviosa_!" Still no movement. Laramie's head slumped against the rock, though his arms held on.

Daphne took a few more steps. The trunk now cracked audibly. "Daphne!" Albus was floored at her nerve. A line about 'the brave and bold' wearing yellow flashed through his memory, and Albus wondered in astonishment if the tiny girl who had been shivering from head to toe at their Sorting would end up alongside three other students, facing some terrible unknown. A terrible unknown wearing a dark cloak with angry eyes underneath. He had but a second to consider this, before -

"_WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!_" The large form of Laramie Fox erupted from the water. A look of intense concentration on her face, Daphne directed the limp figure to land a few feet from Albus. He checked that the boy was still breathing, then turned back to Daphne.

"You have to get off of there!" The deformed tree was now making deep groans, as though protesting the weight upon its unnatural form.

"I'm coming!" She placed one foot in front of the other very carefully, as the tree had started to bend. It was not a long way down to the river, but the river was an unforgiving creature.

"Hurry!"

She moved quicker, but still too slow. The tree gave one last protest, then snapped at the roots. The back end began to sink as the tree bent into the river. The water crashed against the branches, twisting the already disfigured tree. Daphne was only a few feet away when she broke into as much of a run as she could manage along the narrow tree trunk. Suddenly, the tree snapped completely from its roots. She gave a shout of surprise as her footing disappeared under her. Albus lunged forward, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to stable ground. Breathing heavy, she put her hand to her chest and sank to the ground, but only for a moment.

"Laramie." She leaped to the boy's side just as Creevey, Neville, and Caydarah appeared at the trailhead, followed closely by Rose and Helga.

"Is he breathing?" Caydarah asked, sinking down and pushing Daphne aside. "Just barely," she said under her breath. She looked up at Neville and Creevey. "I'm taking him to St. Mungo's. He's freezing cold." She grabbed the boy's wrist, and with a loud pop, they were gone.

Neville and Creevey stared at Albus and Daphne. "You should've come to us as soon as you found that note!" Creevey admonished.

Albus's jaw fell open. He had been expecting them to be praised for rescuing Laramie from what would've certainly been a deadly fate.

"Rose told us about the figure on the trail," Neville said, no longer looking at them. "Harmon thinks it was the person that has been attacking students at Hogwarts. He's searching the wood now." Albus felt a chill. "We need to get back to camp, now." Neville turned and headed at a brisk pace towards the trailhead. Albus followed, kicking the ground as he went. "By the way," Neville said over his shoulder, still not smiling, "fifty points each to Gryffindor and Hufflepuff."

* * *

_Author's Note!_

_Hi,_

_We are nearing the end! Two more updates after this. I don't want to ruin what's to come, but next week's update isn't one to miss._

_Many thanks to those of you who are reviewing. If you're reading but not reviewing - that's okay. Many thanks to you for reading, regardless, and I hope you're enjoying the story._

_May your days be blessed with many glorious adventures,_

_S_

_PS - I apologize if you don't like this chapter. I don't really like it, so odds are some of you don't, either. It's been the thorn in my side since I first started the story outline.  
_


	20. Defying Expectations

**Chapter 20**

**Defying Expectations**

* * *

While Neville may have been silently proud of them, Professor Button was not so pleased. Upon return to the school, he was there to corner the offending students. Phrases like "completely irresponsible" and "extremely poor decision-making" repeated themselves. Ten minutes later, all parties involved walked away with detention to be served the following weekend.

Albus was bitter. "Why does he pick now to start acting like a proper headmaster?"

"He could at least be consistent about it," Rose grumbled.

Albus couldn't have agreed more with that. While he, Rose, Daphne, Helga, and even Laramie Fox had all gotten detentions, Anteres Wirre had gotten off clean. The headmaster had said there was no way short of a truth potion to prove Wirre had written the note. Albus had no doubt he was behind it, however. Laramie's wand had been found stuck in several dismembered fish in the trash heap, which, now that he was fully awake, Albus thought to be a much more obvious spot for Wirre to hide the wand; he was too much of a coward to walk all the way to the stream by himself and hide it.

As for Laramie, he had been nursed back to health with ease at St. Mungo's and had returned to the campsite with Professor Caydarah just as the rest of the students were beginning to pack up to leave. He had nervously come up to Albus and Rose and thanked them, babbling about the ledge suddenly crumbling underneath him.

There had been no sign of the mysterious figure wearing the black cloak, however. Arcturus Harmon had scoured the woods for hours with no luck. As it was the first physical sighting anyone had of the (likely) attacker, the four of them who had seen it had been grilled for nearly an hour, despite the fact that none of them could remember anything except a black cloak and a set of unsettling eyes.

Ewan and Olivia were miffed at having slept through the excitement. "We missed all the fun!" Olivia had complained when they told them all about it that morning. Albus wasn't sure he'd call it "fun," but it certainly had been an adventure.

"Yeh shouldn' go offen do things like that!" Hagrid scolded Albus and Rose when they went to visit him that evening.

"But if we hadn't, Laramie might've died!" Rose protested.

"An' it sounds like Al an' that Hufflepuff girl almos' bit it, too!"

"But we didn't," Albus said defiantly.

"And, they won fifty points for Gryffindor," Olivia added.

Hagrid waved them off. "Yeh don' get it. If yeh had gotten a teacher, they would've done the same thing yeh did, but they might've been able ter get tha' boy without havin' ter go climbin' out on broken trees!"

Albus knew he was probably right, but that didn't mean he had to be happy about it. He settled for sulking quietly.

"Anyway, yer not the only ones in trouble. Tha' whole trip was a disaster."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked.

"Malfoy an' his friend are in trouble fer somethin', I'm not sure what, but Neville said somethin' about fish heads."

Rose made a face.

At breakfast the next day, Button made the startling announcement that curfew hours would continue to be relaxed. Albus couldn't understand why the headmaster thought this would be a good idea, seeing as how they had just spotted someone who was likely the attacker the day before. He tried to talk to Neville again about the prophecy, but Neville continued to assure him that they knew full well the contents and what it most likely meant. Albus, however, couldn't rid himself of visions of a huge battle with four confused first years standing in front of the school, supposed to defend it from dark hordes. He hoped more than ever that he was not one of those four, and hated himself for being such a coward about it.

* * *

At precisely seven o'clock Saturday evening, Rose entered the trophy room for her detention. She had been hoping to be assigned to the library again, but had drawn the short straw. She was displeased to see Filch waiting, jowls quivering and nose dripping. She was even more displeased to see Malfoy standing behind Filch, already polishing one of the many trophies lining the walls of the large room.

"'Ere's our other delinquent," Filch growled out of the corner of his mouth. "Better get started, it could take all night!" He cackled, choked, and backed out of the room coughing.

Rose shot Malfoy a look as she picked up a rag and a bottle of Mrs. Shine's Streak-Free Brass, Gold, Silver, and Uranium Polish. Malfoy didn't look back. She decided to start with the biggest task and work her way down, so she took the Quidditch Cup off the shelf, sat down with it on the cold stone floor, and set to work. She smiled as she saw several familiar names.

Twenty minutes later, she carefully replaced the Quidditch Cup square in the middle of the shelf, content with its shine. She reached for a plaque with an old list of Head Girls just as Malfoy reached for the same one. They both paused, then Malfoy made an "as you wish," gesture. Rose took the plaque, gave Malfoy as neutral a look as she could muster, and sat back down on the floor with the polish.

"So," Malfoy said as he selected a different trophy.

_Darn it_, thought Rose. _He's going to try to make conversation_.

"What're you in for?" Malfoy finished.

Rose paused for a second. She had thought everyone had heard about their exploits on the trip. Enough people had asked her about it. "Got in trouble on the trip," she settled for saying.

"Really? _You_ did? What for?" He didn't look at her, but continued polishing the Award for Special Services to the School.

Rose didn't like his tone. It sounded too... casual. She hesitated before responding. "Laramie Fox went missing, and some of us went out to look for him."

"Hmm."

Rose wasn't sure what to say. "You didn't hear about it? Everyone was talking about it all this week. We saw a guy in a cloak, and the professors think it was the person who's been attacking people around here." She had to resist saying that she pulled off an Impediment Curse on the mysterious person.

"No, I didn't hear anything about it." Malfoy inspected the trophy, frowned at a smudge he hadn't noticed, and picked up the rag again.

Rose nodded slowly and returned to the plaque, confused as ever.

"Maybe it wasn't as important as you thought it was," Malfoy said as he stood up to return the award to the shelf.

Rose dropped the rag and glared up at Malfoy. "I didn't say I thought it was important, I just said that a lot of people were talking about it!"

He shrugged. "Well, nobody was talking about it around me, so maybe it wasn't as many people as you thought." He took the male counterpart to Rose's plaque of Head Girl names off the shelf.

Rose had to hold back a nasty retort. Malfoy was beginning to irritate her. "And do tell, why do _you_ have detention?"

"I put fish heads in somebody's sleeping bag."

Rose's jaw dropped. _So much for it being a set-up_. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because I'm a mean, evil Slytherin." He dipped the rag in the cleaning fluid and began scrubbing the brass.

Rose wasn't sure of how to respond to this. She now had the distinct feeling that Malfoy was jerking her around. "What?"

"What? Isn't that what you all think? The evil Slytherins, out to take over everything. Today: Hogwarts. Tomorrow: The world!" He continued polishing the plaque, never looking up.

"I don't think that," Rose protested, her trophy forgotten. She paused, realizing that Malfoy was, to an extent, right. She might not have thought they wanted to take over the world, but she had to admit, she wasn't particularly predisposed to like Slytherins.

"Last week, in Herbology, you told one of your friends to put your project as far away from the Slytherins as possible, 'in case they did something.'" He still didn't look up.

Rose sputtered and glared at him. "That's because Crank was fooling around and cut the flower off of his Butterbud!"

"You didn't say to keep it away from Crank. You said to keep it away from the Slytherins." Still staring at the plaque as he polished it.

"Well - I - Why were you listening to me, anyway? Eavesdropping?"

"Hardly. Like I said, you're not as interesting as you think."

"I don't think I'm particularly _interesting _- "

"You thought I should've heard about your little adventure."

"Because everyone was talking about it!"

"I wasn't."

Rose stood up. "How about you look at me while you're insulting me?"

Malfoy stopped polishing the plaque. He slowly looked up at her, and Rose sighed in exasperation as she saw an amused glint in his eyes. "You were taking the mickey out of me."

"Maybe."

"You're an arse, Malfoy."

She bent down, picked up the list of Head Girls, and carefully placed it back on the shelf. She picked another trophy, sat back down, and resumed her cleaning in silence.

"You know," she said on a whim. "I heard someone say that you didn't really put those fish heads there. I heard that Katie Boot set you up because she doesn't like you."

"Someone told you that?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm."

Rose paused. "What 'hmm?'"

Malfoy shrugged. "I guess I'm more interesting than I thought."

Another pause.

"Sod off, Malfoy."

* * *

Sometime around seven o'clock Saturday evening, Albus entered the library to serve his detention. While he was happy he didn't have to deal with Filch, he could think of many things he'd rather be doing.

"Oh, good, Mr. Potter is here!" The dotty old librarian came up to him, gesturing towards a table. Albus noticed Malfoy's friend Philip Quick sitting at the table, already sealing a book with his wand. "Now, these books need to be rebound. All you have to do is say '_Liber Ligare_' once, and your - erm - your wand will seal pages at the touch." He motioned nervously towards a book, obviously wanting Albus to get started. "Please - please say the incantation and start binding the - the books. You can start with - erm - with _Medieval Herb Lore of Gallic France_, but do be careful of page one hundred and seventeen, it's slightly torn. Alright? Please say the - "

Albus quickly sat down opposite Quick and said the incantation to appease the crazy librarian. The tip of his wand glowed white. Meddekai gave an inexplicable titter and moved off. Albus shook his head, picked up the first book off the stack, and immediately dropped it. He swore as pages flew everywhere.

"Good going. You're going to bring him back over here," Quick said, exasperated, as Albus gathered up the loose parchment. The Slytherin reached down and picked up a few pages that had fallen to his side. "Here."

"Thanks," Albus grumbled. He looked at the bottoms of the pages he had picked up, and groaned as he saw they were not numbered. "How am I supposed to put these in order? And how did he know what page was torn?"

"Because he's crazy."

"That doesn't help me put the pages back in order!"

Quick sighed. "Find chapter titles. Then read the last sentence of that page, and try to find a page where the first words carry over from the last sentence."

Albus looked at the top page in his hands. It was written in Middle English. "I can't read this!" He took the binding, shoved all the pages into it as they were, and replaced the book at the bottom of the stack. "There. Problem solved."

They worked quietly for another hour before Albus finally broke the silence. "So, what did you do?"

Quick didn't look up. "I offended somebody."

Albus frowned. "I heard it had to do with fish heads."

Quick put his wand down and looked up. "I offended Katie Boot by showing her up in Charms last Friday. She doesn't like being shown up by anyone, much less a 'dirty Slytherin,' as she put it, so she held a grudge the whole weekend and decided to get me in trouble. She took a few fish heads out of the rubbish pile, stuck them in the sleeping bag of someone else she didn't like, then told Creevey she saw Scorpius and me snooping around that tent."

Albus's jaw dropped. He had wondered why Katie Boot had been following them around with an angry look on the camping trip.

Quick shrugged. "Yeah. I'll just have to beat her again in class this week." He returned to his book binding.

Albus frowned again. "How come it's taking you so long? You're still on the first book."

The Slytherin looked up again, exasperated. "Because I've been reading some of it as I go."

"Erm. Why?"

"Because it's interesting."

Albus raised an eyebrow. The book Quick was binding was entitled _Ancient Curses and Countercurses_. "Learning some spells to use on Katie?"

Quick set his wand down again and stared at Albus. "It's much more entertaining to simply do better than her in class. It bothers her to no end, and I don't mind having to come here and rebind books when she gets me in trouble."

Albus nodded and decided he would let the irritated boy get back to his book. Fifteen minutes later, he froze, and looked up at Quick. _That seems much more like a Ravenclaw thing to do that a Slytherin... But am I just stereotyping? _He continued to stare and contemplate whether Philip Quick may have been one of the prophecy's misSorted students, until he noticed that Quick had stopped binding altogether, and was now staring at one particular page without blinking.

"What is it?" he asked, expecting another snippy reply.

"I'm not sure," Quick said. Albus was surprised to hear a twinge of uncertainty in his voice. He looked up at Albus, chewing on his lip. "Here, read this page."

Albus looked at the book. Fortunately, this book appeared to be an updated edition of an older book, and the writing closer resembled the Queen's English he knew and preferred.

_The Curse of Endless Slumber_

_A spell to put one into a sleep so powerful nothing but Death can interrupt it. Tremendous difficulty. Discovered by Emeric the Evil and employed by his followers as a way to contain prisoners._

Albus's heart began to pound in his chest.

A diagram below showed the wand motions. Below the diagram was a drawing of a burst of light, enchanted to move in a spiral. Albus's heart beat faster. Below the drawing was the incantation. Albus's heart seemed to stop.

"_Conquiesce Spiritus_," he whispered under his breath.

"That's it, isn't it?" Quick was staring at him with wide eyes. "That's the spell that hit Amy Ripley. I didn't see it, but it sounds like what happened to her..."

Albus stared back, unable to talk.

Quick gave him a small grin. "Look on the next page."

Albus dropped his gaze back down to the book.

_The Curse can only be undone by a carefully brewed potion, consumed as soon after completion as possible._

A list of ingredients and directions followed.

Albus looked back up at Quick. "Hospital wing. Now." Both boys leapt to their feet and rushed out of the library, Albus clutching the book tightly.

The librarian called after them. "But - boys, you haven't finished - oh, dear..."

They burst through the hospital wing doors a minute later, panting and out of breath. Madam Pomfrey jumped and let a small scream slip at the banging of the door.

"Potter! Quick! What are you doing? There is no need to - "

Albus thrust the open book into her hands. "The... curse..." he panted. "It's the curse. There's... a cure." He gasped for breath as Madam Pomfrey's eyes opened wide. She waved her wand at the open door, and Albus swore he saw a silver chicken burst out and fly down the hall.

Without saying a word, she hurried to a cabinet and started pulling out bottles of this and jars of that. The two boys sank into chairs near the door. As Madam Pomfrey pulled out a small cauldron, set it on a portable fire pit and lit the flame, Professor Caydarah entered the hospital wing.

"Madam Pomfrey? I got your message, what's so - "

She broke off as the hospital matron silently shoved the book into her hands. Caydarah's face turned white and her jaw dropped. "How did you - "

"They found it." Madam Pomfrey pointed at the two boys sitting quietly by the door.

Albus shook his head. "Not me. Him. I just recognized the spell."

Caydarah wasted no time in mixing the potion. It looked more complex than anything he had ever seen before, and Albus was glad he wasn't the one required to make the potion that could save someone's life. He took a look at the bed where Amy Ripley lay. Her curtains were open, and her face was paler than Albus thought a living person's face could be.

Professor Button walked through the door a moment later, followed by Professor Flitwick and Arcturus Harmon. "Poppy, what's going on?" The elderly nurse explained the situation to the three men. Flitwick gave a small squeak of excitement. Button looked at Albus and Quick with a look of immense pride. Harmon's face was unreadable, ever the vigilant but reserved Auror.

Three quarters of an hour later, Caydarah spoke. "Get a cup ready." Albus stood up as Madam Pomfrey held a pewter goblet for Caydarah to ladle the orange potion into. "Quickly, now." Madam Pomfrey tipped Amy's mouth open and poured a few drops of the potion inside.

Nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" Albus shouted, jumping to his feet. "Why didn't it work?"

Caydarah held up a hand to shush him. "Try a little more."

Madam Pomfrey tipped some more of the potion into the motionless girl's mouth. There was a moment where the world seemed to stand still, then Albus heard one of the best sounds he'd ever heard.

"Where's the Snitch?" Amy's voice was harsh and dry, but at least she was alive. Albus nearly laughed with relief. Button sank into a chair and mopped his forehead with a large handkerchief. Philip Quick nodded slowly and let out a small sigh of satisfaction.

* * *

Amy Ripley returned to classes midway through the following week. The story of how she was cured spread like wildfire, and Albus found himself answering more questions than he would have liked. He made sure to deflect the credit to Philip Quick, as he was the one who actually came across the spell and its countering action. Katie Boot did not seem pleased with the newfound attention Quick was getting. Amy had not yet spoken to Albus, and he couldn't help but wonder if she would.

The weather grew warmer as April passed. One Thursday morning in the middle of the month found Albus uncomfortably warm while pruning the leaves on a mysterious purple onion plant in Herbology. He shrugged off his overcoat and, without looking, tossed it towards the bench he knew was behind him. He heard a start of surprise.

"Potter." He turned around and to his displeasure, saw Vilhelm Slair standing behind him, Albus's overcoat on the dirt in front of him. "You hit me with your coat."

Albus shrugged. "Sorry. I didn't see you there." He wasn't in the mood to pick a fight, especially with someone who didn't appear to be of entirely sound mind. He picked up the coat, placed it on the bench, and turned back to the foul smelling plant.

"You should have looked."

Albus, still with his back turned to the Slair boy, rolled his eyes. Across the table, Olivia smirked. Rose tried to elbow her without Vilhelm noticing.

"What's so funny?" Vilhelm was starting to get mad. Albus looked up for Neville, but the professor was busy trying to free Kelly Faust's hand from the grip of what looked like a blue potato vine.

"Nothing," Albus said, still trying to defuse a possible fight. _It's too early for this rubbish_. "I'm sorry I hit you with my coat."

"You already apologized, Albus, don't bother doing it again," Olivia said. "He's trying to start something. It's been, what, at least a week since he cursed someone?" Albus put down the shears and gave Olivia an exasperated look. She shrugged at him.

Vilhelm glared at her, but said nothing and returned to his end of the greenhouse.

"See?" Olivia said, smiling brightly. "Just make them look like a fool, and they'll go away."

"Or you'll make them mad," Albus muttered under his breath. He chanced a glance down the table. Vilhelm was now deep in conversation with Mordecai Crank while his sister eyed the pair with suspicion. Albus frowned. Vexibella seemed far more controlled than her brother. That wasn't to say she wasn't just as crazy as Vilhelm - she just hid it better.

"Al!" Neville's voice jerked him from his thoughts. "Get going! Look how far ahead of you Ewan is." Sure enough, Ewan had the pink leaves of his... whatever it was... perfectly manicured. He smirked at Albus.

"Show off," Albus muttered.

After Herbology, they headed into the castle for Defense Against the Dark Arts, the Slytherins trailing behind. Albus was displeased to find all the desks and chairs pushed to the sides of the room. He ordinarily enjoyed practical lessons, but from the murderous look still on Vilhelm Slair's face, he sincerely hoped dueling was not going to be involved with the class today.

Albus was fortunate, however. Professor Phinean was in a cheerful mood, and decided to have another session to see how long the students in the class could hold onto their wands. He rearranged the desks so they provided obstacles and cover, and stood in the middle blasting students' wands out of their hands and occasionally deflecting a spell a brave student would shoot at him. Ordinarily, Albus was very good at this game. Today, however, he was distracted, and was one of the first to lose his wand. The first round came to an end when the final two students left, Rose and Malfoy, tripped over each other and crashed into a desk. Phinean Disarmed them both with one shot.

"Always be aware of your surroundings," Phinean said as he waved his wand and stood the desk back up. "Malfoy, get up, you're not hurt." Malfoy was sitting on the ground, holding his wrist and making grimaces of pain that seemed a little too forced. Phinean rolled his eyes. "Up, Mr. Malfoy." Malfoy rolled his eyes and stood up. He whispered something to Rose, who scowled back at him.

Behind Phinean's back, Vilhelm Slair and Mordecai Crank were whispering with their backs turned. Vilhelm moved his wand arm, and there was a flash of light and a loud bang. Phinean spun around. "Slair! Knock it off. Everyone back in, wands at the ready." Vilhelm and Crank moved away, and Albus was not happy to see a small burn mark on the wall where they had been standing.

Albus shook his head. _Focus on the class_. He was determined not to lose his wand so quickly this time. Phinean began firing spells. Albus ducked behind a desk as a red light flew over his head and hit Esther Cayhill in the wand hand. He began to stand up, but quickly crouched back down as a Disarmer nearly hit him. He heard footsteps. Phinean was moving. He chanced a glance over the top of the desk. The professor was moving his way, but looking in the opposite direction. Albus stood up and ran to a desk further away. Taking a chance, he shouted "_Expelliarmus!_"

Phinean spun around, easily blocked the spell, and fired his own in return. Albus ducked behind the desk and found himself sharing the tight space with Olivia.

"Fancy seeing you here," she said, grinning.

Albus was breathing hard. "I almost had him."

Olivia shook her head. "You'll never disarm him. Just try to wait it out."

Albus had no intention of just waiting it out - however, Olivia did have a point: Phinean was expecting Disarming Spells. He was making the wand movements associated with deflecting Disarming Spells. Perhaps something else would catch him off guard? He gritted his teeth, stood up, and took aim at Phinean. "_Furnunculus!_"

_"Protego!"_

Phinean was too fast for him. The hex bounced off the Shield Charm and flew across the classroom, hitting Vexibella Slair squarely in the face. The force of the spell knocked her off her feet and she fell on her back on the hard stone floor. Olivia stood up to get a better look. The rest of the class seemed to freeze for a moment, during which time Phinean handily disarmed Albus and Olivia in one go.

"What did you do?" Vilhelm shouted. Despite the other boy being a solid twenty feet away, Albus suddenly found himself wishing he had his wand back. Phinean walked over to Vexibella, who had giant boils springing up all over her face, and would undoubtedly have some bruises from the violent fall to the floor. To her credit, she did not appear to be in pain, although she gave Albus the dirtiest look he had seen yet. "I said, what did you do?" Vilhelm was starting to turn purple with rage.

"It was an accident! I was trying to hit him!" Albus motioned to Phinean, who was now inspecting a particularly large swelling in between Vexibella's eyes.

"With a Furnunculus Curse? You're a filthy liar! Descendant of swine!"

Albus didn't know where Vilhelm had learned to insult people, but he had had enough. "At least I'm not the descendant of a couple of mass murderers!"

As soon as he said it, he knew he had crossed the line. With a vein pulsing in his forehead, Vilhelm aimed his wand at Albus. _"Iacio Ignis!"_

Albus's eyes opened wide as the same bright light he had seen before flashed from Vilhelm's wand, and a fireball about five inches in diameter shot out the end. Wandless, his mind screamed to duck, but his body could do nothing but stare at the incoming flame. Realizing his inaction too late, he braced himself for the impact that was sure to leave a heavy burn wherever it hit, and closed his eyes.

It was to his great surprise, then, that he felt no scorching pain, and instead heard a gasp from his classmates. It was to his even greater surprise that he opened his eyes to see Olivia standing in front of him, holding the ball of fire in her hand as though it were no more dangerous than a Quaffle.

* * *

_That bit with Rose and Malfoy is my favorite dialogue in the whole story._


	21. Revelations, Part II

**Chapter 21**

**Revelations, Part II**

* * *

Albus stared in shock as Olivia held the small ball of fire in the palm of her hand. "What..."

Phinean approached slowly. Olivia looked up, eyes pleading. "Please, professor, I don't know how to put it out yet..." She appeared to be more worried than in pain.

Phinean considered her for a moment, then aimed his wand. "_Restinguere_." The flames disappeared in a small burst of light. Phinean turned away. "Class dismissed. Slair, you and I will visit the headmaster."

The entire class stayed rooted in place, still shocked from what they had just seen.

Phinean rolled his eyes. "Fine, stay here. Slair, let's go." Vilhelm Slair followed Phinean out of the room, glaring at Albus and Olivia as he went.

"What was that?" Albus finally spluttered. "What - "

Olivia flushed deep red. "Er - "

"You can control fire," Isabel Parker interrupted her, wide eyed. "I've heard stories about people like you. You're a fire faerie!"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "That's stupid. I'm not a faerie! It's - "

"No, my father told me about them - you. Faeries are created from powerful dark magic!"

"That's an old myth, I'm not - "

"You're not human - "

"Faeries are short and have green skin! Do I look like a damn faerie to you?" Olivia was growing more red in the face and appeared close to tears.

Isabel gave her a wary look. "Maybe you're hiding it."

Olivia looked around at the faces of the rest of the class. Most of them had similar expressions on their faces. She gave a snort that sounded an awful lot like a sniffle and slowly backed out of the room. Isabel immediately began whispering with her friends. Albus turned to Rose and Ewan. Rose was still gaping at the doorway. Ewan had recovered, somewhat.

"What was that?" Ewan asked.

* * *

At lunchtime, Rose found Olivia in their dormitory, facedown on her bed with a pillow over her head. "Hey," she said, trying to sound casual.

Olivia rolled over. Her eyes were red. "Hi."

Rose wasn't sure where to go from there. Talking with people wasn't her strong suit. "So..."

"I'm not a faerie."

Rose almost laughed. "I know you're not a faerie."

"Isabel doesn't."

"Isabel has less brains than a flobberworm."

Olivia nodded slowly. "I guess I probably owe you an explanation."

Rose hesitated. She had an idea about what had happened, as well as about why this was the first time they were seeing this ability of Olivia's. "Actually, if you want... everyone else is downstairs, and they want to hear..." She trailed off as Olivia pulled the pillow back over her head.

"I don't want to."

"None of them think you're a faerie. I don't think most of them even know what a faerie _is_."

Olivia slowly showed her face again. "How could they not know what..." She trailed off, then looked up at Rose. "Don't most parents tell bedtime stories about them?"

Rose frowned and shook her head. "I came across them in a few books, but that's about it.

Olivia scratched her head. Her blonde hair had grown longer over the year, and was tangled around her face. "My parents always used to tell me stories..." She threw her head back in the pillow. "They probably still all think I'm some sort of freak. It's just like my parents said would happen. I do something stupid, and it all comes out, and now everyone thinks I'm a freak."

Rose was confused. "Your parents? What did they tell you?"

Olivia mumbled something into her pillow, then rolled over again. "I think... I think they told me what they thought would keep everyone from finding out that I'm not completely... normal. My mum called it a 'madness,' once."

"We've always thought you were mad, Olivia."

The corner of the blonde girl's mouth pulled up slightly. "That's true." She hesitated. "Are you sure they don't think what Parker said is true?"

"She didn't say enough to make anybody seriously think you're evil. Most of them have no idea what she was talking about, anyway. Quinn's still blabbering about you not having wings and a little crown."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Muggles and their movies."

Rose shrugged. "Yeah." There was a minute's silence, broken only by a few sniffles from Olivia.

"Okay," she finally said. "I'll go down there." She sat up. "Does it look like I've been crying?"

Rose hesitated. Olivia's face was streaked with red. Her eyes were puffy and swollen. "Maybe a little."

Olivia rolled her eyes again. "You're a rubbish liar sometimes."

Rose and Olivia stepped off the staircase into the common room, where the rest of their first year Gryffindors were all chatting a little too animatedly. As the rest of the tower was at lunch, they had the common room all to themselves. Olivia hesitated at the bottom of the stairs. Rose gave her a little push. "Come on."

They took seats in the middle of the large couch in front of the fire, which had been conveniently left open (Rose was _sure_ the fact that their classmates had surrounded the open spot was _purely _coincidental). Olivia sat in silence. Rose saw a few eyes flicker her way, quick to return to wherever they had been before. She sighed. "It's okay, you can stop forcing conversations, she wants to talk." The room fell silent, and all eyes were now on Olivia. Albus gave her what he probably thought was a reassuring smile. Ewan leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the coffee table.

Olivia frowned. "I'm not a faerie." Her opening line remained the same.

Nobody said anything.

"Those types of faeries Parker was talking about are just myths."

"You knew an awful lot about them for them just being myths." Guy Sheppard had his arms crossed and an eyebrow raised.

Olivia glared at him. Having an antagonist seemed to put her back in her element. "I read a lot, Sheppard. I read about them. Unlike you, I like to learn about the magic I'm doing, rather than chucking a bunch of random things in a cauldron and blowing it up."

Guy blushed.

"Anyway. Those are just myths. Fire faeries and water faeries and all that." She took a deep breath. "Most of you really never heard of them before?" Her classmates shrugged. Olivia shook her head and continued. "The real thing that started those myths is called _elementus nativus_." She looked around and received several blank stares in response. "You've all heard of the four basic elements?"

"Oh!" Quinn Olston of all people suddenly jumped with excitement. "Of course! Leo and Aries and Sagittarius are the fire signs, so you must've been born under one of those!" A sudden look of wonder appeared on her face. "I'm a Gemini, does that mean I can control air?"

Rose put her head in her hands.

"No, Quinn. That's all Muggle rubbish." Olivia looked as exasperated as Rose felt. "Look, way back in ancient Greece, where my mum's from, they thought that everything was made of these four basic elements: Fire, water, earth, and air. Obviously, today, we know that there's more to it. But they didn't. Greek wizards spent generations learning how to control those 'elements.' If they had just used a wand, it would've saved them a whole lot of trouble, but some of them weren't very bright, and thought that they should be able to control them without wands."

"So... what, you've learned this, too?" Torvald asked.

"No! Well, not... I'm getting to it, just be quiet." Olivia was getting frustrated again. They did this for generations, and some of them became so good at it that it sort of... sunk into their magic - don't laugh at me, Ewan, that's what the book said - and they passed it on to their kids naturally." Guy Sheppard remained looking skeptical. Kelly and Quinn both had glazed eyes.

"You mean their kids were born already spitting fire and whatnot?"

"No, Sheppard, you can't just wave your hand and make fire appear. It just makes controlling it come easier" She sighed. "Remember when Phinean was going on about the Greeks thinking that only certain people could do certain types of magic?"

A general murmur of assent passed through the small group.

"He may have been a prat about it, but he was sort of right. These people who studied these so called 'elements' focused only on that. It's like, if you only focused on Transfiguration your entire life, and your kid only focused on Transfiguration his entire life, and their kid, and their kid, and so on. Eventually, it starts coming naturally to them."

"Apparently it doesn't work like that with potions," Ewan quipped, smirking at Guy. Guy glared back at him.

Olivia ignored them. "Obviously, they eventually realized the whole thing was stupid, and started doing better things with their lives, but every once in a while someone finds out they can interact with those so-called 'elements' in their basic form."

"And you can do that with fire?" Albus asked.

Olivia shook her head. "Not just fire."

They all stared back at her. "Can... can we see something?" Torvald asked, looking apprehensive.

Olivia hesitated. "Er..."

"C'mon," Rose said. "It'll be okay." She smiled at her friend. Olivia frowned back, and Rose knew she was thinking about what her parents had told her. Rose didn't know why Olivia's parents would lie to her to keep this hidden, but the other girl still appeared very much wrong-footed.

"Fine." Olivia sighed. She walked over to the nearest window and opened it. A cool April breeze fluttered in. She stared out the window for a moment. Rose was beginning to wonder what she was trying to do when suddenly the wind picked up speed. A minute later, Olivia's shoulder-length blonde hair was blowing behind her and the wind had extinguished the common room fire. Gusts of wind sped through the common room, unsettling papers and tousling Kelly Faust's carefully done hair. Slowly, the wind died down. Olivia shut the window and turned around. A ghost of a smile was on her face. "That was kind of fun." She looked at her classmates, who were staring back with wide eyes. "Erm."

"That was like something out of a Muggle TV show!" Ewan exclaimed, eyes wide. Rose raised an eyebrow at him. Ewan was not usually one for expressing excitement. "What? That was cool!"

"I could do water and dirt, too, if there were any here," Olivia said, visibly relaxing now that nobody was accusing her of being a faerie. "Just the dirt, though; if there were any rocks or pebbles in it, they wouldn't go with it."

Their classmates chattered excitedly. Olivia looked apprehensively at Rose, who gave her a slight smile and a nod. Rose had begun piecing the story together soon after Olivia had left the Defense room. The mysterious lessons she had early in the year, the peculiar books she often read - seeing Olivia catch the fireball was the missing piece she needed. Rose had, in her time in the library, come across a few references to the _elementus nativus_, although she didn't understand many of the details.

"So," Albus began. "How common is this? I mean, can your parents do it, too? Or anyone else in your family?"

Olivia frowned slightly. "No. It's pretty rare."

"How rare?" Torvald Nova asked.

Olivia thought for a moment, chewing on her lip. "Well... Madam Petrakis - she's the woman who was giving me lessons for a while - she has to be over a hundred, and she said she was the only one besides me..."

The room was silent. "You mean, like, the only one in the whole world?" Quinn Olston's mouth was agape.

Olivia scoffed. "Don't be stupid. There's dozens of them in Greece, and some in Italy, I think. But the old bat's the only other one in Britain, I think."

"Wow."

The room went silent again, finally broken by Albus. "Why didn't you tell any of us?" he asked, looking slightly put out.

Olivia shifted in her seat. "Well... you saw how Isabel reacted. She's not the only one who's heard those stories and thinks that!"

"None of us knew about these faeries," Albus continued. Rose tried in vain to send Albus a telepathic message telling him to shut up.

Olivia changed position again. "I'm sure others do. My parents told me the stories are pretty common, and that all their... friends... knew about them." She used the word "friends" as though it wasn't often used in the same sentence as her parents.

"But... you can trust us, you know that."

Olivia was turning pink. Rose could tell she was getting uncomfortable. Fortunately, she wasn't the only one to pick up on it.

"Well, I'm starving," Albert Johnson said, looking between Albus and Rose. "Let's go see if there's any lunch left."

A few of their classmates looked confused by the abrupt end to the discussion, but quickly cottoned on. They filed out the portrait hole, talking a little too exuberantly about corned beef sandwiches. Rose, Olivia, Albus, and Ewan were left alone.

"You could've told us!" Albus said again. Rose glared at him, still trying to silently tell him to let the issue drop. No such luck. "Why'd you hide it?"

Olivia's patience was wearing thin. "I told you, it's not something that's got a good reputation! Even if it is just a load of - "

"But we - "

"Al, shut up," Rose finally said. Her cousin looked back at her in surprise. "Just let it go. People are allowed to keep their business to themselves. Everybody doesn't need to know everything about everybody else."

Albus looked bewildered at this notion. "But this is pretty big."

Olivia glared at him. "It really isn't. It's like being naturally good at Charms, or flying, or something. It's just... different. But it's got that stigma attached... or at least, I thought it did..."

Albus didn't look satisfied. He leaned forward in his chair and bit his lip. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Olivia cut him off.

"Okay, Albus, if you don't like secrets so much, why don't you tell us about where you and Rose were going every week or so earlier in the year?"

Albus's eyes opened wide. Rose sat up a little straighter. She tilted her head at her cousin, wondering what he was going to do next. Her mind began racing, trying to think of a story that could possibly be plausible. She certainly did not want to end up on the receiving end of whatever curse was on the parchment they signed.

"I - I can't."

_Good story, _Albus. Rose closed her eyes and hoped Olivia wouldn't go to her next.

"Why not?" the angry blonde girl asked.

"Because - because I can't!"

"That's - "

"Olivia," Rose interrupted, deciding she would try to put an end to it. "He really can't. It's a spell." She wondered if this would activate the curse, and braced herself for untold horrors.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

Olivia eyed Albus skeptically. Ewan took his feet off the table and leaned forward. He seemed the least bothered by the whole thing. Of course, he was usually the least bothered by anything. "Is there any way you could... give us a hint?" A glint of amusement flickered in his eyes. Olivia glared at him, annoyed by his casual nature.

"No!" Albus protested. "Besides, the D.A. is just a club, this was - " he clapped a hand to his mouth in horror as he realized what he had just said.

Rose's eyes opened wide. "Al! You idiot! What did you..." She trailed off as she realized Albus remained unaltered, if a little pale. He slowly lowered his hand and inspected himself. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Ewan and Olivia exchanged perplexed looks. Albus was wide-eyed with terror, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Rose raised an eyebrow and pointed her wand at him. "What are you doing?" he shouted, pushing himself back in his seat.

"_Magicalis Revelio,_" she said calmly. Nothing happened. Either she wasn't strong enough to cast the spell, or nothing had happened to Albus. "I think you're fine," she said, though she still had her suspicions.

"But what about the curse?"

Rose was beginning to piece it together. "I think... I think that there wasn't really a curse on it."

"What?" Albus asked.

"What are you talking about?" Olivia was thoroughly confused. Rose and Albus ignored her.

"Well, think about it. They needed to keep the group secret back then, because they weren't allowed to have it. These days, it's not necessary to punish people for talking about it, and plus, most of the staff already knows about it. A couple of them were in it!"

Albus considered this information for a moment. "I suppose." He tried to sound content, but his surreptitious checking for hidden deformities gave away his continued nervousness.

"What are you talking about?" Olivia finally exploded. Albus jumped in his seat.

Rose exchanged a glance with Albus, who shrugged at her. Rose nodded back, then turned to face Olivia and Ewan. "It's called the 'Defense Association.'"

* * *

April faded into May with little fanfare. The castle remained free from any attacks; in fact, with the exception of James and Fred sneaking Dungbombs into the kitchen and subsequently onto the Slytherin table, life at Hogwarts was the calmest the first years had experienced yet.

Albus, however, was not buying into the idea that the ordeal was over, as so many others were. He often found himself drifting off into his fractured memory of the night he heard the Sorting Hat's prophecy. So many times he seemed on the verge of remembering a crucial piece of information - only to be jerked out of his haze by a teacher or one of his friends.

Ewan and Olivia had gotten over the issue of the D.A. quickly. Especially once Rose had told them they were on the short list to get in the following year. As for Olivia's newly revealed abilities, the majority of the school had responded with overwhelming indifference. As Olivia had (repeatedly and insistently) put out the word that it wasn't as incredible a gift as it seemed, most people seemed willing to take her word on the matter. She had received a few dirty looks from a small number of people (namely, Anteres Wirre) who had heard the stories (at least, Isabel's stories), but on the whole, the fact that one of their classmates could create a small tornado on a whim went over remarkably well with the students of Hogwarts.

Olivia, however, had written a strongly worded letter to her parents, asking why they had filled her head with ideas that she was quickly finding not to be true. She had received a response, but had thrown it in the fire without having let anyone else read it.

The temperature climbed as the weeks passed. The ground softened and plant buds began to come to life. Neville had them spend two weeks planting non-magical camellias and magnolias around the castle walls. Fertilized with a healthy dose of dragon dung (a process which Albus was none too fond of), the flowers were blooming pink and white within a week. Albus wasn't entirely sure the look suited the old castle, but Neville insisted they learn how to care for a wide variety of plants, magical and non-magical alike.

Their other teachers also seemed to be of the opinion that an excess of material was preferable to what Albus would've considered a proper amount. At least three evenings a week could find the first years in the library writing essays on Motion Charms or Engorgement Spells. To most of the first years, this amount of homework was simply unacceptable. Of course, none of them dared to voice this opinion after Victoire exploded at Sebastian McKinley after the unfortunate lad had bumped into a large stack of her notes, sending the parchment flying around the library and sending Sebastian into the face of ten minutes of unbridled anger. They avoided the OWL and NEWT students after that.

Of course, there was only one final that Albus was interested in, and that was the Quidditch Cup final. Hufflepuff had narrowly defeated Slytherin, but had not scored enough points to have a chance to win the Cup - therefore, it would come down to Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. The two teams were tied exactly in points. Whoever won the match would win the Cup.

It was with this in mind that Albus mounted his broomstick one sunny Saturday in the middle of May and raced out with his teammates onto the pitch. The crowd roared their excitement, and Albus couldn't help but let a smile creep onto his face. Of course, he wouldn't be playing - Conrad Clearview was fully healthy and ready to go - but that didn't mean he didn't feel just as nervous and excited as he had in the previous match.

The Gryffindor squad huddled up in front of their bench. Conrad tried to appear as confident as possible, but a small tremor in his voice belied his nerves. Albus couldn't blame him.

"Alright," he began. "We know what we have to do."

"Score more points than the other team," James declared.

"Right. We were in this same situation last year, and we won." He took a deep breath and looked at his two fellow seventh years. "I think I speak for Alexis and Rufus when I say that we want to go out with just as big a bang this year."

The whole squad cheered. Rufus Underhill let out a roar that could easily have been mistaken for that of a mountain troll. They broke the huddle, and Albus took his seat on the elevated bench between Hannah Warborough and Jonas Tingle.

The starters flew down to the center of the field and dismounted. The Ravenclaws followed suit. Conrad Clearview was met in the center ring by his counterpart, assistant in the D.A., and friend, Ravenclaw Captain and Seeker John Cho. Even with the terrible view of the center ring Albus had, he could tell that the handshake was nothing short of a declaration of mutual respect. Both Captains grinned at each other as Madam Hooch gave them the usual stern lecture. Fourteen players mounted their brooms, Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle into the air, and the Quidditch Cup final was underway.

It was the fastest paced match Albus had ever seen. As soon as the Quaffle was airborne, a Ravenclaw Chaser had snatched it and was streaking down the pitch.

"Finch with the Quaffle, passes to Grimm, who passes back to Finch. Fremont pokes it out, but Ripley recovers..."

The announcer was having trouble keeping up. Amy Ripley's sister was trying to hold on to the Quaffle despite having two Bludgers and James trying to knock it loose.

Albus looked across the pitch. Amy Ripley sat on the Ravenclaw bench with the other reserves. She had recovered very quickly from her ordeal, but hadn't spoken a word to Albus since it happened. Albus didn't know why - the only thing he could thing of was that she blamed him for getting hit - but he wasn't sensing any hostility, just avoidance. He shook his head. _Girls._

"And Finch scores!" Albus was jerked out of his thoughts as he remembered there was a match going on. He scowled at the scrawny Ravenclaw Chaser from a distance.

James cleared the Quaffle after the score. A look of blood-thirsty determination on his face, he pressed himself to his broom and shot forward. The Ravenclaw Chaser Grimm sped in from the side to try to force the Quaffle out, but only received a well-aimed Bludger from Fred for his efforts. James dodged the other Bludger, straightened himself out, and hurled the Quaffle at the left ring as hard as he could.

"Oh!" Albus threw his arms up in frustration as the Ravenclaw Keeper managed to get a hand on the Quaffle and deflect it. The Keeper winced and shook his hand out - Albus was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of James's throw.

"Potter's shot blocked by Wood. Ripley now with the Quaffle, Fremont on her tail. Ouch! Fremont takes a Bludger to the head from Rowlins. Ripley dodges Underhill, and now it's just the Keeper - and Bendt saves it!" Alexis Fremont looked a little disoriented, but waved off Conrad when he motioned for her to switch out.

The match got more and more aggressive as the score climbed. The players were getting tired, and it was showing. Gryffindor was down 180-170 when disaster struck. "Wise with the Quaffle, drops it underneath to Potter, Potter now trying to muscle his way past Finch, loses the Quaffle, but it's recovered by Fremont. Fremont all alone underneath, takes an angle back upward towards the goal - and the ball is knocked loose by Ripley! Ripley leans back and hurls the Quaffle down the pitch - that has to be the longest pass I've ever seen - Grimm lining up for it, but here comes - OUCH!"

Albus winced as James collided with the Ravenclaw Chaser with a sickening crunch. Madam Hooch blew her whistle as the two players sank to the ground. James appeared a little sore, but otherwise alright. Grimm, on the other hand, landed on the ground and immediately began vomiting.

While Madam Hooch yelled at James and Madam Pomfrey attended to the injured Chaser, Albus let his attention wander. It eventually landed on the parents' box. His mother and Lily were sitting in the front row. His father had sent a letter saying he wouldn't be able to make it to the match, due to some dispute with the Moldovan Ministry of Magic over the Quidditch World Cup. Lily saw him looking and made a face. Albus made one back. He grinned. _Always mature_.

His smile faded, though, when he noticed Button and Harmon standing in the back of the teachers' box, arguing over something with furious expressions on their faces. Harmon stuck his finger in Button's face and said something that made the headmaster recoil. Button turned and hurried out of the box, casting a terrified look over his shoulder at the veteran Auror. Albus had barely a moment to wonder what it was all about before Madam Hooch's whistle blew, despite James still trying to argue his case. Her magically magnified voice screeched across the stadium.

"The Gryffindor Chaser is ejected from the game for the most blatant case of bletch - blurph - flying to collide that I have seen in many years!" Albus's jaw dropped, and the incident with Button and Harmon was forgotten as the Gryffindor stands erupted into boos. James kicked the ground and threw his broom away from him. Conrad landed and started arguing with Madam Hooch, but to no avail. The elderly Quidditch judge blew her whistle again, and the Gryffindor players reluctantly took to the air. James gave her one last glare, then mounted his broom and headed for the bench.

Albus looked at Hannah Warborough. "You'd better get in there." Hannah was slightly green. She mouthed a few indistinct words at Albus, wide-eyed, then mounted her broom and flew (slightly wobbly) onto the pitch. James landed on the top level, threw his broom to the side, and sat down in Hannah's vacated seat. Albus gave his brother a sympathetic look.

"Old bat doesn't even know the calls anymore," James muttered under his breath. "And I was going for the Quaffle, not Grimm. I barely touched him, anyway."

Albus wasn't so sure about James's last statement. Daniel Grimm was being helped off the field by Madam Pomfrey. His replacement, a diminutive second year, looked even more scared than Hannah.

"Finch takes the penalty shot - saved!" Albus cheered. James grunted. "Bendt clears it out to Wise. Wise passes to Fremont, Fremont passes to Warborough, Warborough - look at her go!" Hannah was known by the Gryffindor team to have unnatural speed, even on junker brooms. Nobody could figure out why - she just made them _go_. She slung the Quaffle across her body at the left hoop just as Fred fired a Bludger at the Ravenclaw Keeper, effectively stopping him from blocking the Quaffle. "Score! Tied at 200!" Hannah pumped her fist in the air and high-fived Fred as they passed.

"I'm surprised nobody's seen the Snitch yet," Albus commented. James grunted. Albus rolled his eyes. "Well, really, James, did you think you'd be able to play like that forever? Nobody plays that physical in Quidditch!"

"It works," was all James had to say.

Hannah proved a much better replacement than the Ravenclaw Chaser. Gryffindor soon took a substantial lead, and Ravenclaw continued to fall into disarray. Hannah had just scored her fourth goal to give Gryffindor a ninety point lead when Albus suddenly spotted a familiar flash of gold. "Look!" he hissed at James. "There it is!"

"There's what? Where?"

"The Snitch! Right there in the middle, down by the ground." And indeed, there it was. The Snitch was hovering near the center ring of the pitch.

"And both Seekers are on the move! They've spotted gold!" Albus's heart leapt in his chest. Conrad had been above the Ravenclaw goalposts, John Cho opposite him above the Gryffindor rings. Both Seekers were speeding towards the center of the field at dangerous speeds. Fred aimed a Bludger at the Ravenclaw at the last second, but his mark fell short. The two Seekers collided with an impact even more sickening than the last. A collective gasp spread throughout the stadium. They had collided directly on top of the Snitch, and were now lying entangled on the soft ground. "The Snitch is nowhere to be seen - one of the Seekers must have it! But which one?" Albus held his breath as the two bodies began to move, slowly separating. Conrad rolled over onto his back and looked to his left, where John was doing the same thing. They seemed to hold their gaze for a few moments - until John Cho slowly raised a blue-clad arm into the air, holding the shattered remains of the Golden Snitch.

Albus's heart sank into his stomach. _We lost..._ A dull roar leapt from the Ravenclaws in the stadium. Across the way, Amy Ripley was jumping up and down, hugging her fellow reserves.

"Well," James spat, standing up and retrieving his broom. "That's that."

* * *

That evening found the Gryffindor common room gloomier than it had been all year. Nobody dared to speak above a whisper. Nobody from the Quidditch team had even spoken. Albus sat with his friends in a corner. He stared at the floor while Rose studied and Ewan and Olivia traded barbs under their breath. James, Fred and Hannah were taking turns bending and breaking miniature Quidditch figures. Haley Wise and Wendy Bendt were sharing a bottle of firewhiskey in front of the fire. Alexis was in the hospital wing with Conrad. Nobody had seen Rufus Underhill.

The portrait door opened and Alexis entered quietly. "Conrad's going to be okay," she said to the room at large. "He's got a bad concussion and a broken arm." Nobody said anything. "He's also talking to a recruiter from the Appleby Arrows. It looks like he's going to be their reserve Seeker next year." There was a small murmur at this.

"Who's talking to Cho?" Fred asked. Albus wasn't surprised at the question. If somebody was talking to the Seeker that lost the game, somebody was bound to be recruiting the Seeker that won it.

"Wimbourne."

The murmur increased as people realized the two Seekers could possibly end up on opposite ends of the biggest rivalry in British Quidditch. Soon, the common room was closer to its usual volume, with the exception of the members of the Quidditch team. Alexis had joined Haley and Wendy in seeing who could reach the bottom of the firewhiskey bottle first.

Albus sighed heavily. Rose looked up at him. "You know, you could be doing something productive to take your mind off it. It would probably be better than sitting there moping."

"How is doing homework supposed to take my mind off Quidditch? Nothing could take my mind off that match unless it was actually fun."

"So you're saying homework is less fun than losing Quidditch matches?" Rose smirked.

Albus glared at his cousin. He knew she was trying to get him riled up. "Shut up, Rose."

Rose dropped the smirk and returned the glare. "Albus Severus Potter, don't you tell me to - Al? Al, are you okay?"

Albus was suddenly lost in a haze of thoughts. Something Rose had said... _"Albus Severus Potter... Albus Severus... Severus..."_ A face swam forward from the depths of his memory. A face he had only seen in dreams, until...

He gasped.

"What?" Rose, Ewan, and Olivia were all staring at him. He looked at them in wonder.

"I remember it." He looked around to make sure nobody was listening in. "I remember the prophecy." He also remembered seeing a face from his dreams in the Head's office, but his priority was placed on the prophecy.

Ewan froze. Rose's jaw dropped. Olivia leaned forward.

"I remember the whole thing."

"But how?"

Albus waved Rose off and grabbed her quill. He wanted to write the prophecy down while he still remembered it. He inked the quill and began writing on the bottom of Rose's homework.

"Hey! That's my essay for Moorehead..." she trailed off as she realized what Albus was doing. He sat back a minute later.

_1000 years, students have been Sorted where they belong_

_The time has come when the Sorting shall be incorrect by four:_

_The Strong and Fair shall wear Red_

_The Clever and Wise shall wear Green_

_The Ambitious and Cunning shall wear Blue_

_The Brave and Bold shall wear Yellow_

_These four souls will avert great tragedy_

_But tragedy still will come_

_And soul shall depart body_

_Never to return_

All four of them crowded around the parchment. "Is this for real?" Olivia croaked in astonishment. "I mean, you're sure this is it?"

"How on Earth did you remember that?" Rose asked. "And why?"

"You used my middle name," Albus tried to explain. "The last time I saw that name was on a portrait in Button's office, when I heard the prophecy - I don't know, it must've just jogged my memory." He neglected to mention the greater significance behind the portrait. That was a discussion for a different time.

"The ambitious and cunning, that sounds like a Slytherin," Ewan read off. "Brave and bold sounds like a Gryffindor, but who's..."

Wheels were turning in Albus's head. "Oh..." he trailed off. He understood. "We've been thinking about it wrong. We've been thinking there was going to be some big battle or something, and those four students would swoop in and save the day." He looked up to see three blank faces.

"So... what's going to happen instead?" Olivia asked.

"Not 'going to happen' - it's been happening!"

"What?" Ewan and Olivia looked as confused as Albus had ever seen them. A light was beginning to dawn on Rose's face, however.

"All year! Remember the camping trip? Laramie would've died if Daphne Akers hadn't gone out on that broken tree to save him. And she wouldn't have even known he was missing if she hadn't had her tent right next to his with the other Hufflepuffs." He pointed to the line reading "The Brave and Bold shall wear yellow." Olivia gasped. Ewan sat back in his seat, too floored to speak.

Albus looked at the other lines. "'The Clever and Wise...' That Slytherin, Quick. He was the one who found the cure to that curse on Amy Ripley. And he wouldn't have been in detention, binding that book, if it weren't for..." He pointed to the next line. "'The Ambitious and Cunning.'" He looked at his friends. "Katie Boot set him and Malfoy up and landed them in detention because she was mad at him. Quick told me that she figured it would be easy to believe a Slytherin would dump fish heads in someone's tent. She couldn't very well use that line on a teacher if she were in Slytherin too, could she? Or if Quick was in Ravenclaw?"

The other three stared on in wide-eyed astonishment.

"That leaves us with..."

"'The Strong and Fair shall wear Red,'" Rose finished.

Albus thought for a moment and looked around the room, surveying his classmates.

"It's hard to think that someone in Gryffindor isn't supposed to be here," Olivia said. "Everyone seems to fit in so well."

"Maybe Hagrid and the Sorting Hat had it right," Ewan countered. "When they said that it didn't matter what House people went into.

Albus had locked eyes onto one of his classmates.

"What is it?" Rose asked. "Why are you staring at me?"

Albus grinned at her. "I'm not staring at you. Look behind you."

She cocked her head at him, turned around, and saw -

"It's Albert." Albus looked down at the parchment again to make sure he was right. "He helped catch Amy when she got hit by that coma curse."

"But he could've done that if he were in Hufflepuff. That's how you had the teams split up," Ewan protested.

"And," Albus continued, "the first week of term."

There was a pause.

"The Astronomy tower," Rose said, nodding with understanding. "with Malfoy..."

"I knocked Malfoy over the edge," Albus continued, turning red at the memory of the incident. Sinistra always lines us up by House. Slytherin was next to Gryffindor that night. If Albert hadn't been in Gryffindor, he wouldn't have been able to grab Malfoy as he fell. He's the biggest guy in our year - he's the only one who would've been able to hang on to Malfoy." Albus stared at the parchment in front of him.

"That's everyone," Olivia said.

"But nobody's been killed, and it says..." Rose trailed off.

Albus's stomach knotted up. "Well... maybe that part's wrong," he said, though he figured it was too much to hope for.

"Or maybe it just hasn't happened yet," Ewan finished darkly.

At that moment, the portrait hole opened and Arcturus Harmon entered, face wrought with worry. Albus suddenly remembered the altercation between him and Button earlier. "Albus... James..." He approached Albus's table. James stood up and joined them. "You two need to come with me, now."

"What's wrong?" James asked. The knot in Albus's stomach grew tighter.

"It's your father," Harmon said. "He's been... hurt."

Rose gasped and clasped a hand to her mouth.

Bright lights exploded in Albus's eyes and his hearing seemed to close off. He sat back down in his chair. Hard.

"You need to come with me - Rose, I'm sorry, you'll have to wait until later - We have a Portkey set up for you two, straight to St. Mungo's."

James tugged Albus to his feet. "What happened?" the older boy practically screamed.

Harmon shook his head. "I don't know. I just know that there was a fight - look, come with me now so we can find out."

Albus shook the cobwebs out of his head and remembered how to put one foot in front of the other. "Let's go," he said.

The three of them hurried out the portrait hole, leaving behind a very distraught Rose and a twice-shocked Ewan and Olivia.

"Where are we going?" James asked.

"The Headmaster's office."

James and Albus took the lead ahead of Harmon, nearly running down the corridor. Horrible thoughts ran through Albus's mind. _I don't know what I would do if..._ He shook his head and looked at James. His brother's face was as pale as parchment. A quick look back from James indicated that his face was probably just as colorless.

Neither one of them heard the Stunners that hit them in the back.


	22. Traitor

**Chapter 22**

**Traitor**

* * *

Harry Potter reclined in his favorite armchair after a hard day's work abroad, pondering the path his life had taken. He wondered what his ten year old self would say if he could go back in time and tell himself all the incredible things he would soon be experiencing. That he would soon be going to a school for magic. That he would, for the first time in his life, have wonderful friends. That he would meet a beautiful girl, get married, and have three smart, witty, and good-looking children. He frowned. That he would spend seven years dealing with a mass-murderer obsessed with killing him. That hundreds of people would die because of a war over him. That despite winning the war and killing Voldemort, he would still be dealing with the lingering after-effects nearly twenty years later. He thought of his family again, and smiled. _Worth it._

Harry looked at the folder in his hand. It was a mission report from a pair of Aurors he had dispatched to Transylvania in search of someone who had long eluded him. He opened to the front page and was met with a gruesome photograph of a charred and disfigured corpse. Despite most of the body being burned beyond recognition, he could easily make out the distinguishable, twisted face. He read the caption under the photograph. _Target found dead at hideout. Examination discovered no magical tampering with the corpse._ Underneath was another photograph of a long note written in Romanian and signed with the traditional mark of one of Eastern Europe's most notable vampire clans.

With a grim half-smile, Harry nodded to himself. _He must've gotten on the wrong side of them. Gambling debts, maybe._ He shook his head. No matter. The last of Voldemort's inner circle, Antonin Dolohov, was dead. The man had escaped after the Battle of Hogwarts, and it had taken nearly twenty years to track him down. While Harry had hoped it would be his Aurors to bring the man in, he was at least happy to be able to put that case to rest, and in turn, swing the door a little closer shut on that chapter of his past.

The fire suddenly sprang to life. Arcturus Harmon's head appeared in the flames. "Arcturus," Harry said, putting down the gruesome report. "What can I do for you?"

Arcturus stared at him for a moment. His eyes seemed cold and distant. Harry felt something resembling apprehension begin to grow in the pit of his stomach. "We need to talk, Harry."

* * *

"Al. Al, wake up!"

Albus groaned. His brain was pounding a steady beat against his skull. "Urg... What happened?" He sat up and looked around. They were at one end of a small stone room. There was a fireplace at the other end, and a door in the middle. "What happened - What about Dad?" he suddenly remembered why they were out of Gryffindor Tower in the first place.

James was kneeling next to him. He looked sick to his stomach. "Al - we're in trouble."

Albus narrowed his eyebrows and got to his feet. "What are you talking about? We have to - "

"No, don't!" Albus had started walking towards the door, but before he could take three steps, he found something very hard and very invisible blocking his path. "There's a charm up," James finished, wincing as Albus held a hand to his now-bloody nose.

Albus slowly turned towards his brother. "What's going on, James?"

James sat back against the wall. "Harmon," he spat. "He Stunned us. Took our wands, too."

"What? Why - "

"It's him, Al, it's been him all year. He's been the one attacking students. He Stunned us and brought us here. Wherever 'here' is. Probably one of the dungeons."

Albus's jaw dropped. "What? Why would he do that? Why was he attacking - "

"I don't know, Al" James snarled at him. Albus noticed his brother was literally shaking with anger. "I woke up and he was here, shouting into the fire at somebody. He pulled his head out, pointed his wand at me, and told me that if we tried to escape, he was going to hurt us both very badly."

Albus suddenly felt very cold.

"I started asking him questions. He didn't respond at first, he just stood there thinking to himself. Then I asked if it was him who was trying to kill students all year, and he said 'I never tried to kill any of them,' and then he left."

Albus sank down on the wall next to James. This didn't make any sense. One of his father's most trusted Aurors. The second-in-command of the office. "What does he want?"

"I don't know."

* * *

Harry entered the Auror's office. Nobody was around. _Good_, he thought. He sat at his desk, grabbed a blank memo and a quill, and wrote a quick note.

_Minister Ratchet_

_Due to familial concerns, I, Harry Potter, hereby tender my resignation as Head of the Auror Office, effective immediately. I recommend Arcturus Harmon as my successor. Please do not contact me about this before accepting my resignation. I am certain this is what I want._

_Harry Potter_

He paused for a moment, cold fury racing through his veins, before sealing the memo and throwing it towards the lift. The pink paper folded itself into an airplane and flew through the open gate.

Harry stood up, and without hesitation, strode to a heavy door labeled "Armory."

* * *

_"All students, please report to your Common Rooms at once. I repeat: All students report to your Common Rooms immediately."_

Albus started at the sound of Professor Moorehead's voice booming through the halls outside the room. "Does that mean they know something's happening?"

"Hopefully," James said, getting to his feet. At that moment, the door opened and Harmon entered, holding a wireless in his hand.

"Let us out!" James shouted, taking a few steps forward.

"I can't do that," Harmon said. He conjured a squashy armchair and an end table with intricate carvings. Sitting in the chair, he put the radio on the end table and began tapping through the stations with his wand. "Okay, here we go... should be any minute now..." He sat back in the chair and crossed one leg over his knee. "Well, now." He stared at the boys, unsmiling. "I suppose it's only fair I answer your questions."

Albus was too scared to formulate a sentence. Fortunately, James did it for him.

"What are you doing?" James growled. "Why have you been attacking people? And what's the radio for?"

Harmon held up a hand. "One at a time, please." The man's cool and casual nature left Albus unsettled.

"Explain." James managed to reduce all his questions down to one.

Harmon steepled his fingers, clearly thinking. "Well. Let's start at the beginning. I am currently in the employ of someone who greatly desires... change. In his eyes, the Wizarding world is not the way it should be."

"So what is this, some pure-blood garbage?" James shouted. Albus was silently hoping his brother would stop screaming, so as not to aggravate Harmon further.

Harmon laughed. "Oh, no. That's not important. What is important is that my employer has control." He leaned forward. "Voldemort had one major flaw in his plan from the start: He didn't start big enough, fast enough. For a while, he was content to simply terrorize a few Muggles and put his symbol in the sky. The government had time to prepare for him, and they were able to hold him at bay for a while. He fixed that flaw the second time around." Harmon leaned back again. "So did we."

"What are you talking about?" James growled.

"The most magically powerful place in Britain is Hogwarts." Harmon grinned. It was an disturbing sight. "And it is about to change stewardship."

Albus gasped. "That's why you've been attacking students. You figured if the school was closed, it would be easier to take over."

Harmon nodded, an appraising look on his face as he surveyed Albus. "Very clever of you to figure that out. We tried to break the wards during the summer, when there were only a few teachers. Unfortunately, the wards seem to grow stronger, the fewer people are in the castle." He grinned. "That's why we needed to get in. And for everyone else to get out."

"But you weren't here all year," Albus continued, doing his best to hold his fear at bay. "So... you must've been making regular trips here."

Harmon narrowed his eyes. "I had an assistant." He adjusted the volume on the wireless. "No, not on yet..."

"There's someone else in Hogwarts working with you?" Albus was beginning to wonder why Harmon was freely telling them this.

The Auror laughed. "He was an unwilling assistant. Now, the six other Aurors, on the other hand... They were perfectly willing. Of course, they're not really Aurors, then, are they? Polyjuice Potion is a wonderful thing."

"Your plan is rubbish," James interjected. "Our dad will come and rescue us." He glared at Harmon. "And then he'll kill you."

Harmon leapt to his feet, knocking the end table with the wireless on it over. "My plan is rubbish? My plans have been brilliant - except for being disrupted and broken from the beginning. And I have you to thank, Albus."

"What? Me?"

"On the first day of this school year, I came to Hogwarts to pick up information about the new students. Imagine my surprise when I saw Flitwick escorting a boy with a quill sticking out of his eye to the hospital wing. He told me what had happened, and from there, a plan became clear. I thought a few near-deadly attacks would be enough to close the school. A Trip Jinx to send somebody over the edge of the Astronomy Tower - I wouldn't have let the boy die, of course - a brutal beating on the edge of the forest, an ambush on two first years sitting outside by themselves. I thought these would be enough to get that lump of a headmaster to close the school - but then I realized: Those could be attributed to accidents and bullying. You would have to be pretty dense to think that, but the _headmaster_ is particularly dense."

Albus's jaw dropped. "_You_ made me knock Malfoy off the Astronomy Tower?"

"Well," Harmon was breathing heavy as he set the table and wireless back up and took his seat again. "Not me. My assistant. You see," he leaned forward once again. "While the headmaster lacks many of the mental capacities his job requires - it makes him very easy to... influence."

"The Imperius Curse," James said, no longer shouting. "You Imperiused him. He would leave the school a lot to go talk to the Ministry, I heard Dad saying."

Harmon nodded. "Imperius, followed by Obliviation. Finally, it got to the point where your father had to concede and allow the Aurors to come to the school." He grinned. It was not pleasant. "And from there, things became easier. Of course, I still had to deal with the occasional ineptitude of my colleagues. If it weren't for you, Albus, that girl probably would have died on the Quidditch pitch that day." Albus's blood ran cold at the memory. "That wasn't how it was supposed to happen. Two of my people were supposed to catch her. Instead, they all chased after me." He looked annoyed at this thought. "That's what you get when you hire street swine."

He shook his head as though clearing it. "At any rate. Despite all the trouble going on, Button wouldn't close down the school. The Governors couldn't do anything about it - the Headmaster alone has that power." He scowled. "And my Imperius Curse would no longer work. Longbottom put up a ward over the holidays to detect the curse being cast. Since Button never leaves Hogwarts anymore, I couldn't use it. So, we have arrived to where we are now. I had to resort to cruder tactics - but no matter. Hogwarts is under my control. And soon, even more will be."

Albus stared in horror. "But why?"

"Because he's a power-hungry lunatic, that's why," James said. "I wouldn't be surprised if this 'employer' of his starts killing Muggles soon. Everyone who's 'beneath them,' that sort of rubbish." He scowled.

Harmon stared. "You couldn't be farther from the truth. If all goes to plan, nobody is going to die today. Or at all, if we can help it."

There was a moment of uneasy silence. "Why are you telling us this?" Albus finally whispered.

Harmon gave them a half-grin. "Because you'll be coming with me. Ah, here we go, it's on." He tapped the wireless, and the volume increased. Despite the fresh wave of fear that had engulfed him, Albus couldn't help but listen to whatever was so important on the wireless.

_"According to a recent statement from the Ministry, Harry Potter, known to Britain and most of the rest of the world as The Boy Who Lived, The Chosen One, and The Man Who Finally Killed The Most Evil Dark Wizard in History, has apparently turned in his resignation as the leader of Britain's Auror office. The job of leading the witches and wizards who hunt dark wizards and dangerous criminals has fallen to Ronald Weasley, known to most of Britain and some surrounding areas as Harry Potter's friend who helped get rid of Voldemort. A rumor from the Ministry suggests that Weasley was not Potter's recommendation for his successor. A comment from Minister Ratchet reads 'I have to do what I, as Minister of Magic, feel is best for the country. That may not always be what my subordinates think is best. However, ultimately, I, as Minister of Magic, have the final say, and it is my decision.'"_

Albus looked at James in shock and confusion. "Why would - "

James, however, was watching Harmon. The older man was staring daggers through the wireless. "That interfering..." He drew his wand. Albus backed up against the wall, but Harmon wasn't aiming at them. With one violent wave of his arm, the wireless was reduced to ash.

"You blackmailed Dad," James said. "You told him to resign and make you the new Auror Head." Incredibly, a small grin was appearing on his face. "But Ratchet likes to control things. I hear Dad say that a lot." The grin was growing. "And Dad has probably told everyone everything, and they're coming to get us right now."

Harmon spun around. His usually neatly combed hair was thrown askew. His eyes were wide and seemed to glow with anger. "Don't count on it," he growled. "Look at your chests."

Albus was confused. "What?"

"Look at your damn chests. Under your uniforms."

Albus loosened his tie, unbuttoned the top of his shirt and looked down. He gave a sharp gasp. There was a small black circle on his skin directly over what he figured was his heart. "What - "

"That is what will keep your father from telling anybody what is going on." Harmon's eyes blazed. "Because if he does, you die."

* * *

Ron Weasley took longs steps up the dimly lit garden path leading to the house of his sister and best friend. One of whom appeared to have taken leave of his senses. He opened the door without knocking and entered the spacious living room. Ginny instantly appeared in front of him. "Where's Harry? What's going on?"

"I don't know, Gin, he - "

"Do you know what they just said on the radio?"

"Of course I know what they just - "

"What is going on?"

Ron mutely drew the folded pink memo from inside his robes and handed it to Ginny. This only served to increase her confusion as she read it.

"This doesn't make any sense."

"I know. That's why I'm here. Do you have any idea where he might have gone?"

"Gone? He's missing?"

Ron cursed his lack of tact. "Nobody's seen him since he got back from abroad earlier. He was working out security arrangements for the World Cup, and by all accounts, seemed perfectly happy." He paused. "Also..."

"'Also?'" Ginny had perfected the glare their mother had so often given them as kids.

"The armory at Auror headquarters was looted. We're missing a cloak, a few Decoy Detonators, and several Stunner bombs."

Ginny's face went pale. "It sounds like he's going after somebody."

"I know. Ginny, do you have any idea what this could be about? Anything he's said to you recently?"

"No! He's been happy as can be. I mean, he was sad he had to miss the Quidditch final today at Hogwarts, but - " She gasped. "Hogwarts! What if - "

Ron's face clouded over. "I know. That's the only thing I could think of." He opened the door again.

"I'm coming with you."

Ron sighed. "No, you're not, Ginny. I'll take some Aurors and we'll go figure it out."

"There's a whole mess of Aurors already at the school! Fat lot of good they're doing!"

"Ginny, you have to stay here! What about Lily?"

"She's at your house; Hermione's watching her."

"You know what I mean." Ron knew that something might have happened to Harry. He wasn't about to let anything happen to Ginny, also.

Ginny recoiled. "Fine. Just make sure Harry and our kids are safe."

Ron nodded and tried to give an encouraging smile. Failing that, he closed the door behind him and Apparated to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, where five other Aurors were standing ready, waiting for him.

* * *

Harry stood as still as he could. His wand was pointed straight ahead of him. He concentrated hard and silently cast a Probing Spell. The spell rebounded off an invisible wall in front of him and hit him squarely in the chest. He shook his head, glad that he had remembered to grab a Shield Cloak from the armory - otherwise, he would likely have found himself knocked backwards a solid twenty feet.

It had been easy breaking into Honeydukes and descending into the tunnel that led to the inside of Hogwarts. The hard part had come when he encountered the wards. As they were invisible, he had been casting revealing spells the whole way down the tunnel. Once one had rebounded, he knew it was only a matter of identifying and cracking the wards, much like how a Muggle bank robber would crack open a safe.

Unfortunately, Neville had been the one who had cast this most recent set of wards, and Neville was one of the best protective spell casters Harry knew.

Harry raised his wand again, closed his eyes, and gently reached forward until the tip of his wand made contact with what now appeared to be translucent golden glass. He felt, moreso than saw, all the information of the spell coming to him through his wand. He opened his eyes and frowned. There was one thing missing that almost certainly should have been there. He lowered his wand and the shield became invisible again.

"Well. That doesn't make any sense." And without hesitation, he stepped forward through the invisible wards. He felt a slight tingle, but was otherwise unharmed. Looking behind him, he suddenly realized why he was able to pass. "Aha."

With a renewed sense of purpose, he broke into a run through the final stretch of the corridor, climbed the narrow slide, and emerged into Hogwarts. The corridor was empty. Not unusual for ten o'clock at night, but unsettling nonetheless. He donned his invisibility cloak, hurried to the nearest teacher's office, but Flitwick was nowhere to be found. Neither was Moorehead at the next stop. Finally, he reached the staffroom, and found a door he could not open. He gently knocked on the door. "Is anybody in there?" he asked in a low voice.

There was a moment's pause, then a high-pitched whisper back. "Who's there?"

"This is Harry Potter. Can you let me in?"

Another pause. "I can't. Someone took my wand. They knocked us all out with something. I'm the only one awake."

Harry frowned. Harmon hadn't given him many details.

"Okay. Is everybody clear of the door?"

"Er - yeah - except me - hold on, what are you doing?"

"Stand back," Harry said. He backed up several steps and pulled off his cloak.

"Hold on, now, sonny Jim," one of the gargoyles guarding the door said. "The last time you went off firing spells around here, you blew me to bits. I haven't been the same since!"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe this will put you right. _Bombarda Maxima!_"

The staff room door exploded in a shower of splinters. The offended gargoyle was mercifully unharmed. Harry pushed through the wreckage into the staffroom and found a very frightened Clarianna Caydarah huddled behind the staff table. The rest of the teachers were lying sprawled around the room, unconscious. Two metal canisters lay in the middle of the room.

"They - they gassed us," the young teacher said, shaking. "I mean - whoever it was, they threw in one of those, and it made a loud bang, and while we were all trying to figure out what was going on, they must've thrown in the other one, and suddenly everyone was falling over. I probably only woke up before them because I'm around so many potions and gases, and..." She trailed off and wiped her eyes. "I thought we were going to die. "

Harry tried to give her a sympathetic look, but he had just found Neville. "_Enervate_." Neville slowly began to stir. Harry looked back at the Potions instructor. She was looking fearfully at Flitwick, whose arms were bent in a most unnatural position behind his back. "Clarianna." She started at the sound of her name. "The students. Where are they?"

"Erm - we sent them to their common rooms. Arcturus gave the order, and told us all to meet here."

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Neville had regained his senses.

"What does it look like? Rescuing you." Harry helped Neville into a sitting position.

"But how did you - "

"Your wards. A person needs permission from the headmaster to enter the grounds. Button has been asking me to come to Hogwarts all year. Neville, look: You have to find all the students and get them out of the castle."

"What's going on? Who..." Neville trailed off, reached down, and picked up one of the metal canisters.

"Don't worry about who it is."

Neville was inspecting the canister. He looked up, confused. "Harry, these are Muggle weapons."

Harry blinked. "What?"

"These canisters. These are Muggle military tools."

Somewhere underneath the panic of having to find his children, this made sense to Harry. However, the worry was overwhelming, and he was unable to connect his thoughts. "Neville, you need to get the students out. I have something I have to do."

"What is it? I can - "

"Just do it, Neville. Wake everyone else up and fill them in."

A light seemed to go off in Neville's eyes. Harry hoped he was beginning to understand there was something he couldn't communicate. "Arcturus and the other Aurors are around here somewhere," he said slowly. "Maybe they can help."

Harry nodded. "I'll be sure to keep an eye out for them."

Neville nodded slowly. Harry hoped he had gotten the hint - and that he hadn't activated the curse. "I have something that may interest you," Neville added, pulling a piece of parchment from his robes.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Neville, I'm kind of in a hurry - "

Neville threw him the parchment. Harry unfolded it. His eyes widened.

"When did you do this?"

"A few months back. When Harmon first assigned tails to James and Albus. I wanted to make sure they had even more security. Harmon doesn't know."

Harry looked at the parchment again.

_James Potter - Room of Requirement_

_Albus Potter - Room of Requirement_

Harry nodded at Neville, then turned and left the staffroom, sprinted up several flights of stairs and down the corridor. He screeched to a halt in front of a tapestry of tap-dancing trolls and stared at the door to his right. There was not a moment's hesitation before he raised his wand and blasted the door open.

"Aaah!" A familiar shout from within brought him racing through the door before the debris had settled. A fragment of the door still attached to the wall cut his face, but he didn't feel it. The Room of Requirement had taken the shape of a small dungeon cell. To his left was a simple stone fireplace. Directly in front of him was a lump of burnt wood and fabric that vaguely resembled an armchair. To his right was -

"James! Al!"

"Dad?"

"DAD!"

"Are you okay?" Harry gave his sons a quick look-over. Both appeared unharmed, albeit terrified.

"We're fine, but Harmon - "

"I know. Where did he go?"

"He said he was going to the Great Hall - Dad, there's some sort of shield here." James reached out and poked an invisible barrier.

Harry waved his wand in a figure-eight pattern. There was a gentle _whoosh_, and the shield was down. "Come on. You two get to Gryffindor Tower and wait for Neville."

James and Albus followed him out the broken door. "Oh!" exclaimed Albus, realizing where they were. "The Room of Requirement!"

"Will it still work after you blew up the door?" James asked.

Harry didn't ask how they knew what the room was. "It's been through worse. Now get to Gryffindor Tower! It's right around the corner."

Albus hesitated. "Dad..."

Harry paused and turned back to his son. "It's going to be okay, Al." He dropped to a knee in front of him. "I have to go stop him. But it's going to be okay." He gave Albus a quick hug, stood up, and ran back towards the staircase, not allowing himself to look back.

* * *

Albus followed his brother at a sprint down the hallway leading to Gryffindor Tower. They paused in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Pendragon," James panted, out of breath.

The Fat Lady didn't move. Albus blinked. "James, I - I think she's frozen." He looked down the corridor. "They all are..." Indeed, all the portraits in sight were frozen perfectly still.

James banged on the frame. "HEY! Is anybody in there?"

"James! Be quiet! What if the Au - I mean, Harmon's people are still around?"

There was a scuffle on the other side of the door, then they heard Victoire's voice. "Hello? Who's there?"

"Victoire? It's James! Al's with me, too!"

"James? What's going on? We were knocked out, and our wands are gone - "

"It's a long story. Can you open the door from the inside?"

"No! It's jammed!"

James frowned. "We have to go find the teachers," he said to Albus.

"Shouldn't we just wait here for them?"

"No. The longer we wait in one spot by ourselves, the more danger we're in." He turned and broke out into a sprint back the way they had came. Albus had no choice but to follow.

They turned the corner and saw Neville and Creevey exiting the stairs their father had just gone down. "James! Al! What are you doing - "

Neville didn't get to finish his sentence. Two "Aurors" suddenly burst out of what Albus knew to be a broom closet with an exit that moved between floors, firing Stunners. The first hit Creevey in the side of the head, knocking him off his feet and into the opposite wall. He crumpled to the floor.

Neville dodged the second Stunner and grabbed the man under the arm. He pulled his opponent into a position to be used as a human shield - a position useful, as the other man had cast another Stunning Spell at him. The Stunner hit the fake Auror in the chest. Neville tossed the man aside. Having no wand, he did the next best thing - he charged the remaining assailant, his momentum carrying them both over the railing and onto the stairs several feet below with a sickening crunch.

Albus stared in shock. "Come on!" James said. He ran over to where the Human Shield's wand lay and picked it up. "You grab the other guy's. Let's go!" Albus followed his brother to the stairs. The both paused, horrified, at the sight before them. Neville and his assailant were laying in a jumbled heap of limbs on the stairs. There was blood pooling around their heads - Albus didn't know whose. James took a ginger step forward. He was trying to appear confident, but Albus could see the faint green tinge and the subtle tremor passing through his body. James reached down and put two fingers to Neville's neck. He gave a huge sigh of relief. "He's got a pulse." He picked up the other man's wand and handed it to Albus. It felt cold and unfamiliar in his grasp.

Albus carefully stepped over the two men lying on the stairs and followed his brother down to the ground floor. Once in the entrance hall, James pulled him into a broom closet. _"Lumos."_ He pulled a very old, very ragged square of parchment out of his pocket.

Albus had seen this parchment before, but didn't know what it was. "What is that thing?" he asked.

James touched the borrowed wand to the parchment. _"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."_

Albus watched in amazement as black ink lines spread across the page, forming the outlines of several levels of what was clearly -

"It's Hogwarts. You have a map of Hogwarts."

"Not just that. Look." James pointed to the ground floor, where there were two dots labeled "James Potter" and "Albus Potter" standing inside a very small square.

Albus's jaw dropped. "Oh, wow..."

"Look!" James hissed, pointing to the Great Hall. "There's Harmon... and he's got Button with him!"

"Where's Dad?"

They both scanned the map. "There!" Albus exclaimed. Their father's name had suddenly appeared on the ground floor level, in a small room behind the Great Hall. They watched as he slowly moved towards the doorway, then quickly moved into the Hall itself. Harmon's dot reacted instantly, and the result was audible from their broom closet.

James and Albus jumped as the walls around them shook. James stuffed the map back into his robes and flung the door open. "We have to help!"

"What? How?" Albus went to grab his brother's arm, but James had already bolted. "James!" he hissed, leaving the relative safety of the closet. "We can't - "

James spun around. "Why not? Hmm? We can help, and if we can help, we should." His eyes pierced Albus like daggers. "You're always trying to get Dad's approval. Don't you think he might be impressed if you help save Hogwarts?"

Albus balked. James's words stung him to the core. He stopped himself from saying several things he would've regretted, then took a deep breath. "We need a plan."

There was a loud bang, an angry shout, and the walls shook again. "Okay," said James. "We crack the doors, wait until Harmon's back is to us, then we both Disarm him. Both of us at the same time ought to do it."

Albus wasn't sure of this plan, but he wasn't going to let his brother humiliate him again. "Okay."

They crept towards the entrance to the Great Hall. The ruckus inside was so great, neither of the two combatants noticed the doors creak open a crack. Albus gasped at the sight: Their father and Harmon, fifty feet apart in the Great Hall, constantly moving and firing various curses and spells at each other. The air crackled as the magic flew between them. At the front of the room, in front of the staff table, sat the headmaster, bound and gagged.

"He's coming this way," James hissed. "Get ready!"

Albus wasn't sure he'd ever be ready, but he tightened his grip on the borrowed wand nonetheless.

The two duelers' revolution around the Great Hall had put Harmon mere feet away. "Now!" James flung the doors open and they both pointed their wands at Harmon.

_"EXPELLIARMUS!"_

Nothing happened. Neither wand reacted. Albus's breath caught in his throat as Harmon spun around, bared his teeth, raised his wand - "

_"Expelliarmus! Incarcerous!"_

Harmon stumbled as he was hit from behind. His wand flew out of his hand, and thick black ropes bound him as he toppled over.

Albus let his breath go.

"What are you two doing?" Their father's face was as pale as a ghost's.

"We were - "

He ignored James's frantic attempts at explanation, instead grabbing Harmon by the ropes and dragging him to the front of the hall. He then cut Button free, who rolled over and began hyperventilating. Albus watched, confused, as his father crouched down and stuck his wand in Harmon's face. "I'm going to free your wand hand. And you are going to lift it. Understand?" His voice was barely more than a whisper, but the threat was clear.

Harmon sneered, but nodded. "Understood." A minute later, he was propped in a standing position and his wand arm was loose. Albus suddenly understood what was going on. His father returned Harmon's wand to him, never lowering his own. Harmon gave him one last glare before closing his eyes and murmuring under his breath as he waved his wand at Albus and James. Albus felt a tingling sensation on his chest and immediately looked under his shirt. The black dot was gone. He looked at James and nodded affirmation, mouth agape from everything that had transpired. Their father took Harmon's wand back from him.

"Now, we are - "

A jet of red light suddenly flew across the entrance hall and hit their father in the back. He let out a small shout, then fell to the floor in a heap. Albus leapt backwards in horror, his heart pounding like it had never before. The "Auror" who had been assigned to follow him strode confidently down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables.

"Well, well, Harmon. Looks like someone got themselves caught. You," she barked at Albus and James. "Up against the wall. You too, tubby," she glared at Button. Albus remained where he was, staring at his father's still form.

"Shut up and cut me free, already," Harmon snarled, struggling against his restraints.

The imposter Auror grabbed Albus and James by the robes and threw them against the wall. Button followed of his own volition, albeit shaking as he did so.

Harmon winced as his cohort slashed the ropes away with her wand. "Learn a little finesse, Eames. What's going on out there?" He motioned towards the entrance.

"The Aurors are close to breaking the wards. I don't think we can hold them back for much longer." Albus shared a half-terrified, half-surprised look with James. _There was rescue coming!_

Fire burned in Harmon's eyes. "Okay. Take the others and escape through the forest. I'll be along soon. Change of plans..." His eyes fell on the limp body on the floor.

The woman nodded and hurried back out into the entrance hall.

Harmon glared at Albus, James, and Button, pressed up against the wall. Button had yet to say a word. "Don't move." He picked his wand up from the floor where it had fallen and pointed it at the boys' father. _"Enervate."_ He began to stir, but before he could move, Harmon propped him into a kneeling position and bound him with a wave of his wand.

"Wake up, Harry," Harmon said in a low voice. "We need to talk."

Albus watched his father's eyes jerk open and take in his situation and surroundings. "What do you want?" He growled at Harmon.

Harmon lowered his wand. "I understood why they made you head of the Auror office. I understood that both the Minister and the people wanted to see the tale of Harry Potter come complete, from a boy who lost his parents as a baby, to the hero who defeated Voldemort, to the man who would keep the country safe from Dark wizards in the future. But there were so many people in the office who had more experience, who were better qualified." He shook his head. "I understood, yet it still seemed so outrageous to me."

"Is that what this is all about?" Harry spat. "You're mad because you didn't get the job? You backed me for it!"

Harmon barked out a laugh. "What else could I have done? Spoken out against 'the Chosen One?' Of course I had to support you! I had to support you and the blatant nepotism that precedes your arrival anywhere." His eyes were burning again. "Appointed to the Auror squad after only two years of training. Allowed your pick of assignments. Whatever Harry Potter wants, Harry Potter gets. Never mind that I was responsible for capturing seven Death Eaters - alone! Never mind that I sat in a cave in Wales for six months watching a werewolf pack! Never mind that Bellatrix Lestrange herself captured and tortured me for information for three weeks before Voldemort was finally defeated! But does any of this go rewarded?" He took a step forward, tightening his grip on his wand. "Of course not. Myself, and dozens others like me, we were put straight back to work picking up the pieces, while you, the precious Harry Potter, were allowed to disappear into hiding until you were ready to come forward and face the world."

Harry didn't say a word. He glared at Harmon, pure hatred in his eyes.

Harmon took another step forward. "So, I found somebody who would appreciate my abilities."

"You won't get away with this," Harry growled. "Hogwarts will be taken back."

Harmon nodded slowly. "You're right. And very soon, in fact." He raised his wand. "But you won't live to see it."

Albus's mind went blank. Without consciously intending to do it, he lowered his shoulder and charged at Harmon.

"AL, NO!" Albus heard James's shout as though from a distance. He vaguely felt his brother's hand try to grab him, but nothing would stop him. Harmon was only three meters away, two -

A hand finally caught him and threw him to the floor.

_"AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

Though Albus was lying facedown on the floor, he could still see the flash of green light that illuminated the Great Hall. There was a tremendous whooshing noise, a muffled shout, and the soft sound of flesh hitting stone. Albus didn't dare to look. His heart was in his throat, and he knew, just knew, that someone was dead.

"What have you done..."His heart leapt as he heard his father's voice, but then - _That means... James?_

He finally summoned the courage to raise his eyes from the floor. Harmon had been knocked to the floor, and was now sitting up, staring in wonder at the broken wand in his hand.

Next to him lay the lifeless body of Bernard Button.

Albus turned his head away. He couldn't bear to look. James slumped to the floor against the wall, staring at Button's body. There was a commotion at the other end of the hall, and several legitimate Aurors, including their Uncle Ron, burst through the door.

"Harry?" Ron shouted.

"It's Harmon!" Albus's father shouted. "Don't let him escape!"

Harmon, however, didn't even try to run. Ron pointed his wand at him as he ran up the aisle between tables. "Don't move. Don't even - "

The older man cocked his head at Ron, gave a half grin, and snapped his fingers. There was an enormous _CRACK_ from above, and in a flash of purple light, an enormous black bird appeared. It swooped down and landed on Harmon's shoulder. Ron fired a spell, Harmon snapped his fingers, and with another loud crack, both Harmon and the bird were gone.


	23. Recovery

**Chapter 23**

**Recovery**

* * *

The next few hours passed by in a fog for Albus. The Aurors made sure the castle was safe and began undoing the damage done by Harmon and his team. The portraits were unfrozen. Students were freed from their common rooms. Several hundred wands were found in an unused classroom on the first floor, and the arduous task of determining whose was whose began.

The six Aurors whose identities had been stolen were found bound and Silenced in an old dungeon in the deepest basement of the school. They had been given food and water, but that was about it. All six were Portkeyed to the urgent care unit of St. Mungo's.

Neville was also found and taken to St. Mungo's. A pretty Healer by the name of Cho Chang assured Albus and James that he would receive her personal care and would make a full recovery. The man Neville had pushed over the balcony was not so lucky. His neck had been broken, and he had died on impact. The other assailant was arrested and escorted out of the castle by two very large Aurors.

Button's body was moved. To where, Albus didn't know. He tried not to think about it. The man he had so often thought of as a bumbling fool and a coward had died to save him and his father.

His father. His father had sat with him and James for nearly an hour as Ron directed the Aurors about. Despite his constant assurances that he was proud of their bravery, Albus couldn't help but feel that he hadn't done enough. Maybe if they had been able to get the wands to respond, they could've stopped Harmon from escaping...

Albus sat against the wall of the Great Hall with his head in his hands long after his father and James had left. A steady stream of students, teachers, and Aurors passed through the hall, but Albus paid them no attention. He was focusing very hard on not thinking about everything that had happened. He was finally broken out of his daze by a familiar voice.

"Hey."

He looked up to see Rose standing in front of him, Ewan and Olivia behind her. Behind them, sunlight was creeping in through the windows lining the Great Hall. The enchanted ceiling above was a pale purple. It was dawn.

"We, uh - we found something." Rose held out a familiar looking wand. "You're the only one who has a completely white wand like this, so we grabbed it."

Albus slowly reached out and took his wand from her. A warmth spread down his arm and into his body. He smiled for the first time in hours. It was a weak smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Thanks."

His friends sat next to him to form a small circle. Nobody said anything. Nobody needed to.

* * *

The final weeks of school passed without incident. Flitwick had taken over as acting Headmaster, and his cheerful personality helped guide the students through the adjustment period following Button's death.

Neville returned to Hogwarts the Monday after the incident. He was more choked up about Button's death than anyone else - this surprised Albus, since he had never gotten the impression Neville had gotten along with Button.

Albus and James had each spent about two hours with an Auror who took down their account of what happened. Albus found it very difficult to recall all the little details of what Harmon had told them, such as which attacks Harmon had committed himself, and for which he had Imperiused Button and had him perform. What they were most interested in, however, was the spell Harmon had cast on them. Apparently, none of them had ever encountered a spell that forced someone to keep a secret upon penalty of someone else's life. One of the Aurors commented that he didn't want to meet the witch or wizard capable of discovering such a spell.

Albus breezed through his exams. The only problem he faced was an unexpected encounter with the Venomous Tentacula during Herbology, but fortunately, only a glove was lost.

On their last night at Hogwarts, Albus and his friends entered the Great Hall. The room was decorated with large blue and bronze banners, and one table in particular was by far the noisiest. Albus scowled at his Ravenclaw classmates as he sat down.

After Flitwick had delivered the closing speech and climbed down from the staff table (it was the only way the students could see him), the students left the Great Hall to retire to their common rooms for their final night at Hogwarts. Upon reaching the seventh floor, Albus separated from the throng of students heading towards Gryffindor Tower. "I'll see you in a little bit," he responded to his friends' inquiring looks. "I have to go do something."

He turned away - and walked right into Amy Ripley. "Ow!" she protested, rubbing her shoulder. "You really have to start looking where you're going!"

Albus raised an eyebrow at her. "You were the one standing behind me."

She shrugged. "Yeah... I, er - I never thanked you. For. Y'know. All that." She refused to make eye contact with Albus. He almost laughed. She obviously wasn't used to thanking people for things.

"Saving you?" Albus finished for her.

"Yeah. That."

Albus suddenly realized that he didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to being thanked for things. "Erm. Well - no problem. I mean - you're welcome." Both of them flushed deep scarlet. "You should probably thank Albert and Quick, too, they, uh - "

"Yeah, I know. I saw Albert in the Great Hall, and Quick just sort of waved me off..."

"He's kind of weird like that."

"I noticed." Albus shifted his weight. Amy scratched her neck. "Well, I guess I'd better..."

"Yeah, I've got to..." They pointed in opposite directions and mumbled goodbyes.

Albus ducked around a group of chattering Ravenclaws and headed down a rarely-used passageway. Reaching the end, he paused. The large stone gargoyle in front of the Head's office maintained its silent guard. Albus hesitated. _Was the password still the same?_ "Nadine." The statue leapt to the side and revealed the circular staircase. Albus stepped on the bottom stair and it slowly rotated, taking him to the top.

The office had been emptied of what few personal effects Button had placed. A few portraits were present and awake, including the one he had come to see. Directly behind the Head's desk hung the portrait of Bernard Button, eyeing him with curiosity.

Taking a deep breath, Albus took a few steps forward. "I never thought much of you while you were alive," he spoke quickly, trying to get it all out before he had second thoughts. "And I'm sorry for that."

Button stared at him for a moment, then smiled. "Don't worry. I never though much of myself either."

Albus nodded slowly. "Thank you." He snuck a peek at Severus Snape's portrait. It was still empty. He frowned. That would have to wait for another day.

The Sorting Hat was sitting on a low shelf. As he reached for it, a noise behind him made him jump. Neville had entered the office and closed the door behind him. Albus turned bright red. "Er - "

Neville waved him off. "I'm not supposed to be here, either. I won't tell if you don't."

Albus couldn't help but smile at his godfather. His expression sobered soon after, however. "I figured out the prophecy."

Neville nodded slowly. "I figured you would. He told me the Hat told you the whole thing." He pointed at Dumbledore's sleeping portrait.

"It made perfect sense - but aside from, you know... Professor Button... It wasn't as... dramatic... as I thought it would be."

"That's why I told you not to worry about it," Neville said. "There was nothing you could have done." He shrugged and raised his hands as though admitting guilt. "Of course, I couldn't stop from worrying about it. I thought that if I could make security tight enough, I could stop everything from happening." He shook his head. "All I did was seal us in so help couldn't get to us in time."

Albus felt a twinge of sympathy as Neville studied Button's portrait. The late headmaster had left - to where, Albus didn't know. They sat in silence for a moment before Button returned, pulling a very pretty young woman with curly brown hair into the frame with him. Neville let out a strangled gasp. Albus looked at him in alarm, and was shocked to see his godfather's eyes welling up.

"This is...?" Neville asked Button's portrait in a whisper.

Button nodded. "Nadine." He smiled at the young woman and pulled her into an embrace. "I thought you would like to see what she looked like when she was alive."

Albus didn't know what the portrait was talking about, but Neville nodded, trying to hold back tears. "That old Seer..."

Button's portrait nodded. "I suppose there's more to Divination than we know." He smiled, and he and the pretty brunette disappeared, back to wherever Albus presumed they shared a portrait. He could only guess at what happened, and more death was not what Albus wanted to think about.

He waited for Neville to dry his eyes. "The one thing I don't understand," he said, staring at the Sorting Hat, "is why the Sorting Hat told us in the first place. Why not just let it happen? It told us, that understood better than most first years about prophecies, but..."

Neville sighed. "The Sorting Hat has its own personality. We're not too sure what it is these days, but... It had its own personal motivators for telling you."

"But... if everything was going to happen regardless of anybody trying to do anything or not, I don't understand why it needed to tell anybody in the first place."

Neville opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, then closed it again. Albus didn't press the issue. They sat in silence for a moment before a raspy voice came from the Hat, chilling Albus to the bone.

"You will."

* * *

The next day, Albus and his friends took their usual compartment aboard the Hogwarts Express. Albus peered out the window and watched the people go by as they boarded the train. Conrad Clearview and John Cho leaned against the platform wall, chatting. Both had signed with Quidditch clubs and would begin their training soon. Daphne Akers and Helga Leinde laughed as Guy Shepherd and Laramie Fox dumped several cups full of a mysterious purple liquid over Anteres Wirre's head. Scorpius Malfoy and Philip Quick passed under Albus's window, both giving him small nods of acknowledgement. Amy Ripley sauntered past, chattering with her group of Ravenclaw girlfriends. The Slairs walked past in silence with Crank and Parker following, bickering.

"So, who's looking forward to the Quidditch World Cup?" Olivia asked.

Albus turned back from the window and cheered, while Rose shrugged, apathetic about the whole thing. Ewan rolled his eyes. "Of course you all are, you actually get to go."

Albus was prepared for this. His father, as the reinstated Head of the Auror Office (and known as the savior of the Wizarding world), had been able to swing an entire box of seats for cheap. He pulled a small ticket out of his pocket and handed it to Ewan. "We'll pick you up the day before the final. And you can stay at our place for a week or so after, if you want."

Ewan's eyes got wide as he took it. "Wow... thanks..."

"We would've gotten you a ticket too, Olivia, but since you said you were already going to be there..."

"I'll meet you there. If I can get away from my parents for long enough." She rolled her eyes.

There was a loud whistle, and the train began to move. The compartment door slid open and James, Fred, and Hannah entered. "What's up, short people?" Fred asked with his usual jovial attitude.

"You do know that Ewan is almost as tall as you, right?" Rose asked.

"Bah!" He waved her off as they stowed their trunks. Struana gave a loud and indignant squawk as Bob's cage was placed next to hers. Albus thought back to the mysterious black bird that had taken Harmon away. He had heard of phoenixes, of course, but never anything like that. He caught James looking at the owls, and knew he was thinking about the same thing.

Rose looked between the two of them. "You two okay?"

James blinked. "Yeah."

There was a minute's silence as everyone finished putting their belongings away and found seats. Albus and James exchanged silent communication with their eyes. Neither of them had told anyone other than the Aurors questioning them about everything that had happened. Their mother had tried to pry it out of them, but fortunately, their father was able to calm her down. The unspoken dialogue, however, told them both that the other was ready.

"So," said James. "You guys want to hear a story?"

Once they were sure neither Albus or James was going to have a breakdown during the course of the story, the rest of the group was a very good audience. They gasped in the right spots, let out a little "oh!" when they realized how Harmon had been attacking people without actually being on the grounds, and Fred even cheered when Albus told them how Neville had single-handedly taken out two armed attackers.

Once they got to the part where Harmon had been about to kill their father, however, Albus didn't quite know how to continue. He had tried very hard not to think about those last few minutes. Fortunately, James was there to help him out.

"Al bullrushed him. Just charged straight ahead and tried to take him down himself."

Rose gasped. Olivia looked at him with something resembling admiration, and even Ewan's calm demeanor was ruffled. "Wow, mate. That's... that's pretty... incredible."

"I would've died," Albus said quietly. "If Button hadn't caught me. He pushed me to the floor and dove at Harmon." The compartment was silent. "The... the curse hit him, but he still knocked Harmon over and broke his wand. He saved me." Albus didn't dare look up from the floor.

There was a moment's pause, then James continued. "Then the rest of the good Aurors came running in, and this huge black bird appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Harmon, and they both disappeared."

Rose's jaw dropped. "Like a phoenix?"

"_Like_ a phoenix, but definitely not a phoenix. I don't know what it was. Anyway, the Aurors told us not to tell anybody half of that, but I don't think they really expected us not to."

In spite of everything, Albus laughed. He suddenly remembered something he had been thinking about the night before.

"Olivia?"

"Hmm?"

"So, I was thinking, and I remembered a few things I never quite put together before."

"Erm. Okay?" Olivia had no idea what he was getting at.

"The boat ride to Hogwarts our first night, when I fell in the lake..."

Olivia realized where Albus was headed and grinned.

"There was a huge wave that pushed me and Malfoy into the boat."

"Oh, yeah, that. Yeah, that was me. I had my hand in the water, and just sort of hoped it would happen. I thought you were going to yell at me about being dry throughout all of that."

Albus blinked. "I didn't even think of that! So, your mother didn't really teach water-repelling charms?"

Olivia rolled in her seat and laughed. "I don't even think I can do one of those now!"

"And also..." He had thought of one other incident, and this had bugged him far more than the first. "That Quidditch match against Hufflepuff."

Olivia's eyes opened wide. Her mouth clamped shut.

Albus's jaw dropped. "You didn't!"

"What?" James was looking between them. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, looking back, I remember that the Snitch sort of just... flew into my hand. I mean, I probably would've caught it anyway... probably... but - "

"I'm sorry!" Olivia was laughing despite Albus's outraged face. "I didn't mean to!" I didn't even realize I had until later - I was too busy being knocked over by you flying into the stands!"

James gaped, then peered out the compartment window. "It's okay, nobody heard that. We'll just pretend you didn't just admit to helping us win the game. Not that it really mattered in the end - we still lost the Cup."

Albus rolled his eyes at Olivia. While he was still glad he had caught the Snitch, he felt a twinge of disappointment at learning that it was not entirely of his own doing. He harrumphed. "Next year, I'll catch every Snitch. By myself!"

* * *

The train pulled into Kings Cross several hours later - several hours too soon for Albus's liking. As they disembarked, he noticed James looked pale. "What's up?" he asked his brother.

James shook his head. "Nothing. Just have something I gotta do." Albus would've asked him to elaborate, but James looked like he might be sick.

As soon as he got off the train, Albus's mother wrapped him up into a bone shattering hug. "Mum!" he gasped. "You just saw me, like, two weeks ago!"

"I'm just glad you're home," she whispered in his ear.

Disengaging himself from the mass of red hair, he saw Lily giving Rose a huge hug. "What, no hello for me?" he asked her.

"You didn't write me a single letter all year!" She said, indignant.

"And Rose did?" Albus was surprised.

"No, but you're my brother! You're supposed to!"

Olivia had dragged her mother over to say hello. The woman shared her daughter's tan complexion, albeit with brown hair instead of blonde. She shook Rose's parents' hands and introduced herself with the air of someone used to greeting business associates at cocktail parties. Olivia rolled her eyes at the civility of it all. Despite her anger at her parents for having deceived her, she couldn't help but want them to know about her life. "And that's Ewan, his mom and his little sister Hestia, Albus, his sister Lily, and their parents. His brother James should be around here somewhere - oh. He's saying goodbye to Hannah."

Albus looked around. His jaw dropped. James and Hannah Warborough were standing half-hidden behind a pillar, sharing what Albus would've called a _very_ fond farewell. His mother grabbed Albus's head and turned it away. "Don't stare!" Albus smirked. He would have a _lot_ of fun with James that summer.

Olivia's mother hurried her along out of the station, saying something about a business meeting. Olivia smirked back at them as she left. Albus's father was busy talking to Ewan's mother, probably about the logistics for the Quidditch World Cup. She was smiling, which Albus took as a good sign. He exchanged a jokingly over-dramatic handshake with Ewan, and then it was just the Potters and Weasleys.

"Well." James had returned to the group, his face flushed pink. He had trouble hiding a smile. "Oh, shut up, you lot. Shall we get going, then? How are we getting home? Flying car?"

Their mother laughed. "Wait until you see what your father got his hands on for us to take this time."

"Oooh, can I steer on the way home? Can I?"

"No, Lily."

"Boo. Well, then can I ride Al's broom when we get home?"

"Ask Al."

"Al, can - "

"No, Lily."

"But why not! You get to ride it all the time!"

"It's my broom, Lily!"

"But I wannaaaaaaa! Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Shut up, Lily."


	24. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**"Epilogue"**

* * *

_December 12th, 2006_

The woman waited in a crouched position behind a hedgerow. She parted the branches in front of her as far as she dared, and peered through the shrubbery at the building nearby.

It was a warehouse of sorts. At least, it looked like a warehouse. The woman knew that the building was not only a storage facility, but also a headquarters for several people who had no business planning what they were.

There was a rustle in the bushes behind her, and the woman jumped. A man emerged. "Sorry. I did not mean to scare you." His accent was practiced British, but with a twist of what was distinctly Eastern European roots, and his dark features reflected his ethnicity. A nose with a slight bend to it helped define a pointed jaw. Jet black hair spread back from a widow's peak, neatly combed. Dark brown eyes studied the woman carefully.

She let out a small sigh of relief. "It's okay. What did you find out?"

"The delivery should arrive soon," the man said as he crouched down next to her. "What does it look like in there?"

"I see six men, two women."

"Armed?"

"Muggle weapons. Those are easy to jam."

"Good."

She turned to the man. "Are we... are we doing the right thing?"

He narrowed his eyes. "These people are trying to ruin all that _our_ people have worked for. And we are the only ones that can stop them." He moved closer and took the woman's hand. Her soft brown hair rested around her shoulders in curls. Her pale blue eyes stared into space as her jaw trembled. The man's gaze darkened. "Not to mention the obvious." He pulled a photograph from his robes. Two babies, barely a year old, rolled about in the picture, playing with each other. The girl squealed as the boy poked her in the stomach and giggled. They had the man's dark hair and eyes. "Nobody will get away with this."

The woman grabbed his arm. "Look!" A Muggle van was pulling in front of the warehouse. It stopped, and two men jumped out of the front. The inhabitants of the warehouse came out front and greeted the newcomers with stony nods. They opened the back doors and began unloading crates.

"Now is our chance," the man said. "They are all in one place. I do not think there are more than two or three wizards among them - this will be easy."

The woman balked. "I - I don't think I can do this! You did this kind of stuff for your Ministry, but I - "

The man placed his hand on her shoulder. "We need to. For Vilhelm and Vexibella."

She stammered for a minute, then her shoulders slumped as she accepted her fate.

"Now, we should start firing from here, and move outwards - " The man trailed off as he noticed a large crate being unloaded with a familiar marking on the side. "C-4..."

"What?" The woman straightened up. "What's 'C-4' mean?"

"It means our job just became even easier." He looked at the woman. "Do you trust me?"

"What? Of course I do."

The man pulled out his wand and took careful aim through the hedgerow.

"Wait! What are you -"

_"Bombarda Maxima!"_

* * *

_Author's Note!_

_Well, there you have it. Whatcha think? Do you still have questions? Of course you do! If you didn't, I'd be surprised._

_But don't worry._

_Most of them will be answered in__ the sequel, coming to a website near you sometime in late summer or early fall. Or whenever I finish it. I think it's shaping up to be better than this one. It's more... concentrated. If that makes sense. Less extraneous stuff. But with the same awesome characters, plot twists, and shock and awe that made _APSS_ so much fun to write.  
_

_Many thanks to all those of you have read. Many more thanks to those of you who have reviewed, and for those of you that surely will review now that the story's over! Feel free to ask those questions you may have in the comments, and I will answer them, as long as the answer doesn't give away plot points._

_Also, I've been responding to many of your reviews - the responses are going through, right? I have no way of knowing from my end.  
_

_May you all have many glorious adventures,  
_

_~ S  
_

_Oh, yeah, and here's a small excerpt from the first chapter of _Albus Potter and the Unknown War:

* * *

_Vilhelm now looked as though he was giving the idea legitimate thought. "Okay. I have nothing else to do today."_

Whatever gets him to go_, Vexibella thought. "Okay, let's go."_

_"Now?"_

_"We might as well. You said you have nothing else to do."_

_It was Vilhelm's turn to give his sibling an exasperated sigh. "Fine. Let me get my shoes on."_

_Five minutes later, they stepped out of their house and into the Muggle suburb in which their aunt and uncle had chosen to set up residence. The sun shined down on them, the weather worthy of all the neighborhood kids playing outside on their lawns. It was a beautiful day._

_Vexibella scowled._

_They headed down the street towards the main part of town in silence. Children stopped their playing and whispered behind their hands to each other as they passed. Adults looked out their windows and frowned. One girl, no older than five, did not see them approach as she played on the sidewalk, her toys spread around her in the organized jumble only a child can appreciate. The twins paused in front of the girl, casting small but effective shadows on her. The girl looked up, blinking to adjust to the changed light. The twins looked back at her. None said a word. The little girl gulped and scooted to the grass, taking as many of her toys with her as she could._

* * *

_Excited yet?  
_


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